


Sisyphus

by NathanWhoWritesSometimes



Category: Original Work
Genre: Fantasy, Gen, Work In Progress
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-10
Updated: 2020-08-10
Packaged: 2021-03-06 02:08:42
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 50
Words: 58,861
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25815571
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NathanWhoWritesSometimes/pseuds/NathanWhoWritesSometimes
Summary: The Commander leads twelve soldiers on a mission to find a mythical land. They know what they are willing to do to dominate this land, but do they know what they are willing to do to get home?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! This is a work in progress, so if you think of any ways the story could be improved, please leave a comment!

THE WAY HOME

I.

The tunnel breathed suddenly in the darkness. A gust of frozen air rushed through a long silence like the death knell of an aged man. Grumbling stomachs and trudging boots were the only noises softly echoing in its wake. A path, wide enough for two men to walk side by side, lead the trailing group of a dozen soldiers down the moist earthen corridor. A freezing chill of the mountains behind them faded with this last breath. According to his watch, they had been on this path for five hours, thirty-seven minutes, and forty-two seconds. This man, the Commander, was gladdened by the simple fact that the tunnel was straight. He supposed the path must be sloping downward some imperceptible degree, as they should have made it through to the other end of the mountain by now. 

As they drove deeper into the earth, the officer beside him knocked on the electric lamp he held, using a blunt man’s tactic to keep it from flickering. The light would not last much longer. The Commander prayed the tunnel would keep to a single path once it burnt out. A labyrinth of twisting paths would surely mean all their deaths, and as much as he believed in the cause, he did not want to die in this pit. Yet perhaps they would actually find what they were looking for on the other side, whatever that may be. 

Their pace had slowed. The indelible endurance of these first class soldiers was slacking. Morale was suffering the same fate. This tunnel must end soon. It must.

The electric lamp then sputtered its last. The party halted behind the Commander and after a few steps, he turned to them. Though he could see nothing, he could hear scattered murmurs of dissent rumbling across the walls. They had to keep moving. The tunnel had to end soon, “Did I give a command to stop marching? Forward! If we don’t complete the mission, we can’t return home!”

The gentlest breeze lifted words from the back of the procession to his ears, “If we don’t turn back, we won’t return home at all.”

A silence, deeper than the void of darkness in which they stood, stuck like a film over the stiffened muscles of the men. The Commander thought this must be how political dissidents felt when they were thrown into sensory deprivation chambers. The most horrible way to lose your mind. He had always known where the weakest link stood, and if his men were to survive this, they could no longer survive it whole. Private Weber’s loose tongue could not be allowed to jeopardize their mission any longer.

“Private Fischer.”

“Yes, Sir!”

“You stand next to private Weber, correct?”

“Yes, Sir!”

Private Weber’s heavy breaths rushed back and forth across the group like a roaring tide, “Weakness cannot be tolerated. Do what must be done, Private Fischer.”

“Yes, Sir!”

The report of the pistol left a persistent ringing in his ears, drowning out the sound of the men’s shuffling feet. The muzzle flash branded on his mind Private Weber’s horrified face being consumed in a wave of blood. The Commander could not decide which was more jarring. He patiently waited for the ringing to cease. By the time it had, the men stood in another silence that desperately struggled to maintain itself.

“We move forward! For our Leader!”

He walked on and soon found an urge building in him. He closed his eyes. It made no difference in the darkness but it allowed him to find a place where he could accept what he had done to a perfectly fine soldier. Private Weber, though the weakest link, was by no means weak. Months travelling with little food through frozen plains and the icy mountain, eating wolves to preserve rations, the struggles they had faced could break the strongest of men. But he could not let the band fall into disarray. One stray comment let slide, and the whispers of mutiny begin stirring. If that were to happen, continuing the mission would be pointless, they would all be as good as dead. The Commander thought to himself, I am sorry, Private Weber, and thank you. You have just saved all my men’s lives.

His concentration was shaken by a steady rise of voices throughout the group. He shut his eyes tighter as they began to proclaim and even shout. To himself, he whispered, “Please, don’t make me do this again.”

“Commander! Look!”

The Commander opened his eyes. Far off in the distance he saw, to his own wonder, a dim speck of light. The faint, glimmering dot grew brighter and larger ever so steadily as they progressed forward. The men began to cheer.

“Quiet! Get yourselves together! We don’t know what’s on the other side.”

If this is the other side... It must be. What within the depths of the Earth could create such a light? Then again, this tunnel could be nothing but man made.

“Weapons at the ready.” The sound of shifting firearms littered the tunnel. Once this ruckus pattered away, their approach was deaf and steady.

The light by this time had taken the shape of a doorway, quite similar to the one they had entered kilometers behind them. If it was indeed simply the other side of the mountain, then the elder who had directed them here from that squalid village they passed through would learn of his frustration. The light became blindingly bright. He prevented himself from shielding his eyes or looking away. The men must not see weakness. Then, he passed through the doorway.

Before him swept a vast landscape of mountains, plains, rivers, forests, lakes. All stretching out from the mountain path they stood upon. But instead of the frozen grey wastelands they had left, it was a land of abundant green, with a cloudless blue sky, a yellow sun, and a warm breeze.

He realized he had been blocking the exit and stepped aside, standing next to the doorway to usher them all out. They stood before him and marvelled at the scenery. For a moment, he considered ordering them to press forward, but he instead let them bask in relief and wonder as he had. To his own surprise, a tear rolled off his eyelid. All his men faced away from him, and so he let it roll, all the way off his chin to the earth below his feet.

His men began exclaiming.

“My God!”

“It is!”

“It must be!”

“We’ve found it, sir!”

“The village elder was right!”

“What the Leader’s been looking for!”

The Commander was next to speak, “Shangri-La.”

Intelligence Officer Mayer, the party’s historical expert, corrected him, “Shambala, as it would be called by its people.”

“Ah, yes of course.” Agreed the Commander, “Nevertheless, men, we must press forward! We’ll continue down the mountain path until we find a spot to rest.”

The soldiers pressed on with little reluctance. As the Commander began to follow, he turned back to find the doorway gone. Vanished, with no sign of it ever having existed. For a moment, he lost himself and began to panic, running his hands haphazardly across the surface, slapping it, and muttering to himself that it couldn’t be true. Suddenly realizing the loss of his composure, he turned quickly around and stood straight as an arrow, a cool look forced onto his face. His men were proceeding down the mountain path. None had seen what had become of him, or the doorway. He followed in silence, imagining what would happen when they found out.


	2. Chapter 2

II.

The mountain path ran on, winding for several kilometers to reach the valley below. The Commander was surprised it was not colder at this elevation. Several hours had passed since any of them had eaten, yet the men seemed happy enough exploring the new world they had discovered. The Leader would be overjoyed at their accomplishments. If they could ever return.

The Commander shook the distraction from his thoughts. A new world, beautiful as it may be, would be filled with unknown dangers. His mind could not be clouded by the prospect that their return may be impossible. Another lost expedition. Another missing band of loyal soldiers that never returned home.

He violently shook his head, causing his hat to fall off. It lay there on the path, muddied and weathered. He knelt down to pick it up, batting at it with his hand while gazing at the sweeping landscape, now partially shrouded by a cluster of trees.

“Here!”

“We’ve found it! We’ve found it!”

The Commander rushed toward the voices of his men and found them standing just off the path not far ahead. Before them was a glade of trees, not marred by the sloping of the mountainside, and within it a pool, clear and succulent as a glass of water.

He stood smiling at the glade for a moment before realizing all ten of his men were staring at him. He looked quickly between them, then, “At ease, men.”

They cheered and whooped, some of them racing forward, others struggling to free themselves of their clothes. Drinkers were splashed by naked divers and jovial complaints were hurled about sullying perfectly good drinking water.

The Commander simply sat down against the trunk of a tree, pulling out his journal to record the events of the day. To his surprise, nearly half his men joined him, including Intelligence Officer Mayer and Private Fischer. Some fell asleep, others looked to him, no doubt curious of how they would proceed. Medical Officer Bauer on the other hand, stared at the men in the water with a grimace.

A warm and gentle breeze still floated across the landscape. The smell of flowers followed it from somewhere to the east. The sun gently warmed the earth under the Commander and he lay his journal to rest on his lap, once again observing the greenery. This was a place of untold beauty. Yet, though it was lovely, this spot would not do for a settlement. That was the ultimate goal after all. To find a spot in this new world and claim it for the Leader. The Commander doubted the mystic qualities of this place. Their arrival here was strange, the villagers they had spoken to had rambled about some sort of “promised land” separate from the Earth itself, even Intelligence Officer Mayer seemed to truly believe this was the fabled Shangri-La. But in the end, this land would become just as mundane as the rest of them. They had only to find a settlement-worthy spot. And another way home…

A grey wisp wandered before the Commander’s face and he looked toward the pool to find a fog had rolled in, unbeknownst to any of them. He quickly stood up, finding his heart was heavy. He did not know why. Then the men began to scream.

“What’s happening!”

“What is going on over there!”

“This damn mist is blinding!”

“It’s Private Beck!”

“My God! Sommer is attacking him!”

“Get him off me!”

“Oh God! What’s wrong with you, man!”

“They’re attacking each other! They’re all trying to kill each other!”

The Commander’s ran to the edge of the pool, faintly making out two men in the distance, one strangling the other, the other biting the former, blood foaming from the wound. As he gazed on, a naked form flew from the mist and barrelled him to the ground. The crazed soldier on top of him had strength, but no coordination. The Commander threw him off with ease and beat him in the jaw with his fist, knocking the soldier unconscious. 

The sounds of chaos roiled through the mist. He threw his voice, echoing across the glade over the boom of the struggle, “Enough! If you haven’t gone insane, incapacitate those who have and get them out of that pool!”

At this, he and four others waded into the pond, wrenching men from the throats of their comrades and meeting skulls with the butts of their guns. In less than a few minutes, six crazed men lay unconscious on the ground and five bewildered men stood above them, the mist foaming over their backs.

“Never drink from an unknown water source. Especially a still one.” Medical Officer Bauer criticized from somewhere close by.

“It’s a little late for them to hear your words of wisdom, Bauer.” Said the Commander.

Medical Officer Bauer simply grunted.

“Alright, we’ll carry them to a safe spot to rest for the night. Gather their belongings, each of you grab one of them and their gear. I’ll take Beck and Sommer.”

After a coordinated and speechless gathering of the supplies and clothes of the unconscious men, the remainder of the party hoisted their bodies onto their backs and marched heavily out of the glade. The Commander wondered what sort of land they had wandered into, that the water itself drove men insane.


	3. Chapter 3

III.

The cloud of mist had vanished behind a wall of trees as the men trudged further down the path. Progress was painfully slow. Medical Officer Bauer, Intelligence Officer Mayer, Private Fischer, and the stumbling Private Richter, continuously readjusted and struggled with the men on their backs. At a faster pace, they would not have faced such hardship, but their brutally slow march was necessitated by the Commander, carrying the burden of two fully grown men on his shoulders. The longer they marched, the slower and more exasperated the march became.

Medical Officer Bauer protested, “We need to choose a place to rest here. Below the trees. We’ll hardly make it a kilometer before nightfall in these conditions.”

“No…” The Commander forced out.

“Commander, you haven’t eaten since morning. None of us slept in that frozen wasteland last night. You’re overreaching. There’s honor in the attempt, but continuing at this point is-.”

“Our Leader’s army... is the greatest in the world!” The Commander forced through barred teeth, “We brave any challenge... without complaint. These men... need rest, yes. But… they also need... safe shelter. I… will not strip them of that… for my sake.”

Medical Officer Bauer scoffed. At the same time, the Commander stumbled to his knees. Private Fischer moved to assist him.

“No!” He protested, “I’ll manage my burden! You manage… yours!”

Private Fischer stood for a moment before moving back toward Private Richter to continue marching, “Yes, sir.”

Medical Officer Bauer spoke out again, “You’ll die with those men on your back.”

“I will inform our Great Leader of your concerns… upon our return.”

Medical Officer Bauer’s expression spoke of anger, but his eyes were glossed with fear. The Commander found him an invaluable resource. It pained him to launch threats, yet he could not stand for insubordination when the mission was at such a breaking point.

“Commander!” Private Richter exclaimed, “A cave up ahead! We’re saved again!”

Medical Officer Bauer huffed, “Again? I don’t recall being ‘saved’ once yet.”

The Commander spoke over him, “It’ll do!”

Not far inside the cave, the party set up camp. They made no fire, unaware of what dangers may be drawn to it. As night fell, a full and brilliant moon lit their dwelling well. But a black abyss of earthen tunnels stretched on away from them. The six unfortunate men lay on their bedrolls, their uniforms draped over them for warmth. After a small meal, utilizing the last of the rations for the conscious members of the party, they sat in silence until the first of the six awoke. 

The Commander turned towards him, ready.

Private Richter leapt up and rushed to the man’s side, “Muller! Are you all right?”

Private Muller drearily opened his eyes and looked about him, “Did we make it? Did we complete the mission?” The man seemed sane once again.

“...Well.”

“Where is Emma? Did she come to see me?”

“She’s…” Private Richter struggled, “She’s alright. Back home.”

Private Muller sat up quickly, “My God! The promised land! We found it! We were there!”

Private Richter opened his mouth, then drew back in hesitation.

“We are still there, Private Muller.” The Commander went unnoticed as he placed his pistol back in its holster.

Private Muller looked down at his naked chest and did not speak.

“Do you remember the pool?”

“The pool? Yes! I’ve never seen water so clear! It was gorgeous, wasn’t it?”

Private Richter stuttered, “It… It was.”

Medical Officer Bauer posed the next question, “And, Private Muller, do you remember ravenously attempting to murder your fellow men-at-arms?”

“Pardon me, sir?”

“What Medical Officer Bauer means to say,” The Commander gently asserted, “is that after several minutes of being in the pool, you and five of the other men,” Private Muller looked around at the other soldiers in bedrolls, “became crazed and began attacking everything in sight. Tooth and nail. Like some deranged creature.”

Leaning further forward, Private Muller pleaded, “No! Sir! I would never-”

“You did. But don’t worry. You weren’t the only one. You obviously weren’t in your right mind.”

“I believe it was some sort of natural hallucinogenic in the water.” Medical Officer Bauer offered, “But still, you’re saying you have no memory of it at all?”

“None whatsoever, I swear. Sommer, Beck, and I were wrestling in the pool and then… now I am here.”

“Curious.” Medical Officer Bauer contemplated to himself.

“Has your research mentioned anything resembling this pool, Intelligence Officer Mayer?” The Commander asked.

“None whatsoever. Shambala is supposed to possess waters that purify and heal. But none that drive men to insanity.”

The Commander pondered for a moment, “Perhaps then, this land we’ve stumbled on is not Shambala.”


	4. Chapter 4

IV.

One by one, the other men came to their senses. After a little over an hour, five of the men were awake. Private Muller and Private Beck, who was the next to gain consciousness, were fully dressed. Three of the others were still sitting naked, unaware of what had befallen them. Private Sommer was the only one still sleeping soundly under his uniform. 

Medical Officer Bauer had been testing them to make sure there were no caustic side effects from their experience. They all were doing well, though Private Beck’s arm needed to be bandaged from the vicious bite Private Sommer had given him. The Commander interrupted these tests to interrogate the men, trying to glean some understanding of what had befallen them. All claimed the same experience as Private Muller. Private Richter flitted around, making sure every one of his comrades was alright, greatly annoying Medical Officer Bauer in the process. He was scolded more than once during the night. Private Fischer sat quietly and waited for the Commander to issue an order.

“Private Richter, calm down,” Private Richter bolted up to aim a distracted look at the Commander, “Your brethren will be fine. None of them are showing any signs of physical or emotional trauma.”

Private Richter stood still, continuing to stare for a moment, “Oh… okay, sir.” then returned to his seat next to Private Fischer.

The Commander turned to gaze out at the moonlit trees. Their shimmering blue-green leaves wavered gently and reminded him of the wood near the house he grew up in. Running and jumping and tumbling through the trees in the dark when his parents thought him asleep. Suddenly, he felt more a stranger in this land than ever.

A glinting light ahead of him disrupted his thoughts. Something was shimmering in the moonlight just inside the mouth of the cave. The Commander stood and walked to it, standing over the muddy, glinting object. He leaned down, stuck his hands in the wet soil, and pulled a weathered, beaten flashlight from the earth, holding it in his hand, pondering intently.

His thoughts were disrupted again, this time by Private Richter, “Where is Sommer?”

“What?” The Commander turned.

“Sommer. He’s not in his bedroll.”

Private Richter, Private Fischer, Medical Officer Bauer, Intelligence Officer Mayer, Private Muller, Private Beck, and the three other dazed soldiers all stared intently at the Commander, who in turn, stared at Sommer’s empty bedroll. He slipped the flashlight in his pocket, unnoticed, then said, “Get dressed, grab your gear. We are moving out.”

The party began to shuffle and move about their supplies. The Commander approached Private Fischer and took him by the arm, “Private Fischer, collect Sommer’s firearms and rations as well.”

“Yes, sir.” Private Fischer said softly.

After a minute of quiet, russling movement, the party was ready to move out. They stood at attention before the Commander and he opened his mouth to give the order. 

A soft, wet pat echoed through their ears from not far within the black walls of the cave. All turned and faced an engrossing darkness. A darkness that grew closer the longer they gazed into it.

The Commander placed a hand on his pistol, “Men-”

Leaping from the darkness, a mass of pale figures assaulted them. Clammy arms reaching, bony fingers gripping sleeves, pointed claws slashing open flesh. Gunfire sprayed through the mass of forms. It was uncertain whether bullets did not affect the creatures, or if there were simply more to take the place of the fallen. Blood spattered black on the walls, cries bellowed from both sides, melding together as one deafening cacophony. And in the flashes between gunfire and darkness, the eyes were only left with a collage of white, furious faces, barring their teeth, dripping with blood.

“Do not panic!” The Commander cried into the din, “Steady your aim and fall back! Back to the trees!”

The line of men moved steadily backward, spraying automatic gunfire into their assailants. Their retreat moved closer and closer to the mouth of the cave. Private Beck’s firearm clicked at that moment. He moved to reload and one of the creatures was on top of him. It champed and slashed, grazing red streaks through Private Beck’s uniform as he desperately held the creature at bay. Then it began to choke him, oozing the life from his body. Throttling him, as a man does. As Cain would Abel.

The Commander lunged toward Private Beck and pushed the barrel of his pistol against the fleshy skull of the creature. With its hands still clasped around Private Beck’s neck, the creature looked up at the Commander, meeting his eyes, fierce and unafraid. Challenging him. The Commander fired.

Private Beck threw the limp carcasse off of him and grabbed the Commander’s outstretched hand. They retreated with the party out of the cave, and just as they passed the threshold, a scream wrent the darkness.

The Commander turned to find Private Richter being dragged back into the black abyss. Before he could make a decision, Private Richter had vanished. He stood idle only a moment, “Back! Back to the trees! Cover the entrance and let nothing escape!”

No one questioned him as he remained at the entrance. Then, pulling out the muddied, weathered flashlight, he charged into the darkness.

“Private Richter!”

“Commander!” An agonized cry rung from the deep.

The flashlight emblazoned many walls, this time near, the next far. Sometimes revealing a blinding wall blocking his path, the next vanishing down another endless corridor. The Commander sprinted aimlessly through the tunnels of the cave, the scope and magnitude of this dwelling ever expanding in his mind. The further he ventured, the less these tunnels seemed naturally formed, and the more they appeared… dug. Scraped and clawed for untold lengths of time, reaching deeper and deeper into the earth.

“Private Ricther!”

Only an gargling scream met his ears this time.

The Commander ran on towards the sound. Nothing met him on his journey. At every turn of his flashlight, he thought to find a mass of fleshy creatures waiting in ambush, or a lone killer prepared to strike. Yet nothing met him but more and more tunnels.

Suddenly, he found not even that, but merely a rough wall up ahead. 

He reached the end and turned around, “Private Richter!”

A struggling gasp met him from below. He turned again to find a hole in the earth just before the wall. Aiming the flashlight into it brought him a vulgar sight. Seven meters below, Private Richter lay on the floor of a larger room, twitching, wide eyes unseeing. The gaping and ruddy gorge, forming an incomprehensible mass that had once been his stomach, was being fed on by half a dozen of the creatures.

The Commander knew what happened next. Spinning, crouching at the same time, the barrel of his firearm found one of the pale figures waiting behind him. It thrust into him with inhuman might, but the Commander grabbed the neck of the creature, forcing it to struggle for balance, lest it fall with him. In the few moments between their battle’s begin and end, he glimpsed the thing’s hands that were upon him and found not the claws he thought he had seen earlier, but long, broken, bleeding fingernails.

The instant his adversary had found its balance, a bullet mutilated its hideous visage, and the Commander went barrelling down the tunnels. Rasps and animalistic chants assailed his equally aimless return to the entrance. Wisps of his uniform and flecks of blood drifted away from him as pale figures danced in and out of the periphery of the flashlight’s circle. The thunderous mauling of hands and feet upon the earth approached from every direction. They approached. All of them. Dozens, hundreds, thousands. Nearer and nearer. They would take him. And he would become as they are.

Adrenaline boiling his veins and blood crashing as waves against his ears, he launched himself out of the cave. He was shocked by the overbearing silence. No great crescendo of the operas met him, no applause of gunfire to beat back the horde of attackers that apparently had not followed him past the entrance. Only the soft whimper of his footsteps pattering the forest floor greeted his perilous escape.


	5. Chapter 5

V.

The Commander trudged toward his remaining soldiers standing among the shimmering moonlit trees. All held incomprehensible, blank faces save for one one.

“That was the stupidest thing you’ve ever done.” said Medical Officer Bauer.

The Commander lunged toward the medical officer, grasped him by the neck, and thrust him backward into a tree. The other men observed the interaction without moving. He brought his face within inches of the medical officer who offered no words, but only an aggressive look in return. The Commander released him, sliding down a nearby trunk to sit on the damp earth. Ignoring the eyes on him that were still processing all that had happened. Would they come to doubt him? Or come to see him as a threat? Were they all too ready for Medical Officer Bauer to follow in Private Weber’s footsteps? Or had they any thought at all?

“We need to find a suitable place for rest.” Medical Officer Bauer offered while massaging his neck, “These men need time to fully recover from the hysteria at the pool.”

The Commander looked up vaguely at Medical Officer Bauer, stood, and walked a few steps before stopping again, “Move out.” Then he continued on.

The party walked for a short time before the Commander realized he had no idea where he was going besides ‘away.’ He turned to the Intelligence Officer, “Intelligence Officer Mayer, did you see any maps or read anything about this place that might suggest a spot to rest for the night?”

Intelligence Officer Mayer clenched his teeth briefly, “The maps on Shambala are rather vague… and, uh, no texts go into great detail on its layout. They mostly speak of its great wonders and how it is a paradise for-”

“Then I do hope this _paradise_ reveals no more of its great wonders to us before we have had a few hours rest.” The Commander interjected.

“In… indeed.” Intelligence Officer Mayer offered nothing further.

Several minutes passed before the Commander found himself walking along a shallow ditch. He paused and his men followed suit.

“This will have to do. There will be no watch tonight. We all need rest and must take the risk.” The men began eagerly climbing into the ditch to find a soft patch of dirt. He faced the intelligence officer, “Do you see any great wonders down there?”

Intelligence Officer Mayer did not make eye contact with the Commander, “No… sir.”

“Good.” Then he trudged down into the ditch. 

Medical Officer Bauer saw to the injured men. Disinfectant and bandages were applied to clawed flesh. Stitches were sewn through a few deep bites.

Laying against a stump a short distance away from his men, the Commander pondered on those remaining. Nine. Nine of twelve. At what point would a responsible leader order a retreat? Would he have ordered one at this point if their exit had not vanished? They had been in this hellish land for hardly a day and he was already considering retreat. Then again, they had been in this hellish land for hardly a day and had already lost a quarter of their number. He gripped the bridge of his nose. Not everyone they had lost had fallen to the dangers of this place. He continued to ponder what may have happened if they were able to go back through the doorway, on home, and inform their Great Leader they had found the location of Shambala so he could send an entire army flying over the mountain peaks. As he imagined everything that had met his eyes the moment he had exited the mountain pass roiling in flames, he smiled. Then he drifted off to sleep.


	6. Chapter 6

VI.

Sunlight pierced the Commander’s bleared eyes through gold tinted leaves. He looked at his watch. It had not been two hours since he had fallen asleep. The rest of the men had not yet awoken. An irritated stomach alerted him to his need for food. Muscles ached and groaned upon standing. The rim of the ditch revealed an endless horizon of woodland. There would be something to eat out there.

After rousing the rest of the men and allowing the ones with remaining rations to deplete them, the Commander led them out of the ditch and into the continuing unknown. Hours past with no signs of a suitable meal. The trek became slow as the one that had brought them this cursed place. The Commander thought an internal conflict must be raging within Medical Officer Bauer, who gave a grunt or grumble every kilometer or so. This must have been due to a fierce deliberation between complaining about the men’s need for rest, and accepting that they must find food if they were to survive.

Then Private Muller’s body struck the ground. All turned to stare at his wriggling form struggling to rise. Private Beck gripped under his arm, lifted him to his feet, and they continued on. It seemed Medical Officer Bauer would have no more of this. Striding up alongside the Commander, he began to protest.

“The men will not survive another hour. They must stop to rest.”

“We cannot stop.” The Commander did not turn to him, “If we do so, many of them will not be able to rise again to continue the search.”

“Then have them rest and send a party out to find food. Private Fischer seems without want if it is not by your orders. You, he, and I would make much more swift work of it too. We would not be wasting time waiting for your men to crawl from the earth and shake off their exhaustion.”

“Hm, and what about Intelligence Officer Mayer? He seems perfectly apt.”

“Well…” Medical Officer Bauer looked back at Intelligence Officer Mayer, whose head jerked up from a book he was studying as they walked, and gave the medical officer a weak smile. Medical Officer Bauer turned away from him, “We need a superior to watch over the men and make sure they stay in line.”

The Commander chuckled, “After what we have faced thus far, you would suggest separating?” He turned to look Medical Officer Bauer directly in the eyes, and a furrowed brow looked back at him, “I can see why you are not commander of this party.”

The medical officer grasped the Commander’s sleave and spun him around. Those following came to a halt and Intelligence Officer Mayer gave a startled, “Oh!”

“You are willingly sending these men to their deaths!” Medical Officer Bauer whispered.

The Commander walked him out of earshot, “Aside from the fact that all of your suggestions thus far would make our deaths more likely, you are not the leader on this mission. You do not get to make suggestions, give orders, or question mine!”

“I am the medical officer! It is my duty to look after the welfare of the men! Which is all I have been doing, while you see fit to have us galavanting through unknown territory that has, thus far, only proven capable of killing us!”

“Do not presume that I do not care about my men! You know I do,” Medical Officer Bauer turned his face away from the Commander, “But the mission is the priority here! The mission! Even if we could go home, how do you think the Great Leader would greet us upon our failed return!”

Medical Officer Bauer turned to once again to look into the Commander’s eyes, “What do you mean, _even if_?”

The Commander stood silent for a moment. There was no opportunity to respond as the medical officer turned to look past him at the men and his eyebrows raised in shock, “Hey!”

The Commander turned to find the men standing under a tree picking fruit from it, Private Roth opening his mouth to take a bite. Private Fischer only stood apart from them, facing toward his arguing superiors.

“Stop!” The Commander charged toward them, mouths halted over the succulent fruit, debating the price of disobedience, “What are you doing!”

“We have found food, sir.” Private Muller announced.

“And you saw fit to take a bite out of whatever was lying around?”

Silence followed.

“Do you know what that is?” Silence remained the collective response as the Commander grabbed the fruit from Private Roth’s hand and raised an eyebrow at its strange visage. It was blue as the sky, similar to the size and shape of any fruit, yet like nothing he had ever seen.

Medical Officer Bauer approached, “We have no idea what type of flora this is, it could be poisonous.”

“But it’s just dangling from this tree, sir… like an apple!” Private Muller argued, “It seems… familiar enough.”

The Commander let the fruit fall to the ground, “So did the water in the pool.”

The rest of the men still carrying the fruit hesitated before allowing them to fall and watching them roll slowly away.

“We will wait for something to hunt.”

The group carried on miserably. Most seemed devoid of hope. Some grumbled in dessent. The Commander kept his face forward, and plunged deeper into the wooded landscape, determined not to debate their desperation. Instead, he pondered the desperation of his position. If the men began to consider mutiny, there would be no recourse for it. Regardless of how much he loathed the idea of restoring a second time to the tactics used with Private Weber, it was effective. But this was not an option with their dwindling numbers. Every one of them would be needed to survive through to whatever end he was taking them. Not home of course. But somewhere. Perhaps there was a hospitable place within this endless wood. Then again, how much more likely would mutiny be once the men discovered there was no going home? Would he be the next Private Weber? Now that he had foolishly made Medical Officer Bauer suspicious of their situation, he wondered how much longer his secrecy would hold.

Then again, it might be mutinous that he began to question the Great Leader’s intentions in sending them here. Dozens of expeditions had been sent, across the globe, to find ancient artifacts and hidden lands most doubted the very existence of. He questioned the wisdom of sending men into something they knew nothing about, with no reinforcements, possibly never to return. Were these the decisions of a wise leader? And was his questioning of them a betrayal in itself?

The trees grew dim, the ground darker still. A blast of purple and orange light bled through the clouds above as the party trekked on. They would not find food this day.

At the edge of a small glade the Commander came to a halt, “Private Fischer, take first watch.”

“Yes, sir.”

“We rest here for the night.”

Without any response the men found places to rest among the trunks. Medical Officer Bauer checked wounds and applied fresh bandages. Intelligence Officer Mayer had not taken his nose out of his book. The Commander wondered if those writings were in any way pertinent to the mission as he lay down. Only Private Fischer chose a spot near him. He looked out at his tousled and bleeding troup, trying to find a suitable sleeping position that neither agitated their wounds, nor kept them from ignoring their stomachs. Turning to the blackening sky as it began to rain, he was reminded of splashing in shallow puddles as a child and his mother’s colorful umbrella.


	7. Chapter 7

VII.

The Commander awoke to a black silhouette before him. A hand landed steadily on his shoulder as his hand reached the knife at his side.

“Private Brandt.” The blurry figured wavered toward his exhausted vision through the pouring rain.

“Sir, I think we’re in luck.” Private Brandt pointed into the glade.

Wandering through the open area, noses to the wet earth, were a group of animals. Through the dense showers, they seemed to be one meter in height, three meters in length. Grass shrouded their four appendages but judging by their legs, these would end in massive, clawed, paws. Antlers sprouted from their flat, wide heads and aimed backwards down their furry spines to massive horned tails. They skulked through the darkness, moving to the opposite end of the glade. 

The Commander was very glad they had not left a scent there, “They are hunting.”

“And, I would assume,” Private Brandt held up his knife, “So are we.”

“Your eagerness is admirable, though calm down private. We will follow them come morning.”

“Won’t we lose them?”

“They must be very heavy. They will leave tracks in the soft earth. Return to bed.”

“You got it… sir.” Private Brandt smiled, sheathed his knife, and stood to return to his bedroll.

“Private Brandt?”

“Sir?”

“What brought you up at this hour? If it was the beasts, you must have a very good set of ears on you.”

“It’s my watch. Anyway, I haven’t been able to sleep. The wounds, you know.”

“Of course. It will be a long and difficult hunt tomorrow. Will you be ready for it?”

“No doubt about it, sir.”

“They look to be dangerous beasts.”

“And we are the Great Leader’s army.”

The Commander returned Private Brandt’s smile, who then turned and walked away. Even if he had been comfortable, the Commander would not return to sleep this night. The men were starving, bloodied, frustrated, and there was an arduous hunt ahead of them. He had to stay alert if he was to protect himself. The beasts may prove very difficult to kill. And Private Brandt’s knife had not been sheathed when he had first awoken.


	8. Chapter 8

VIII.

The dawn came slowly. Over the course of several hours, the rain drifted off, the clouds cleared, and a red glow bled across the sky. A dripping wet uniform clung to the Commander. It had pushed a deep chill through his skin during the night, but as the sun rose and the earth warmed, he was almost gladdened for the wettness. It would keep him cool during the hunt.

The men began to rise and he stood waiting for them. Once Private Fischer had gotten his gear together, he stood silently next to him. The Commander considered telling Private Fischer to be on his guard, or to keep an eye out for signs of mutiny, but in the end said nothing.

Once the men stood at attention, “Private Brandt noticed strange beasts moving through the glade during the night. They will have left tracks in the rain, and if we follow them, we will find our breakfast.”

A low grumbled rustled among them. The Commander turned, closed his eyes for a moment, then set off an a jog. The tracks were easily found, they led from the glade into the woods and became more fresh with every kilometer gone by. Despite their exhaustion, the hunt seemed good for the party. They had not exerted themselves in days, aside from fighting for their lives, and best of all, a goal lie waiting at the end of these tracks. Instead of trudging on across endless kilometers hoping they would stumble across food or shelter, they were running headlong toward a defined goal. The Commander picked up speed.

Private Brandt moved up alongside him, “Sir, these beasts, what if they can move faster than we can?”

“That does not matter, Private Brandt.”

“Why is that?”

“First, if they don’t know we are hunting them, they will likely be moving slowly. Hopefully we will be quite close before they realize it. Second, do you know what makes man the most dangerous of beasts?”

“Of course. Our intelligence. We are smarter than any animal and can make weapons superior to any natural advantage they may have.”

“Those help, absolutely. But our greatest advantage is also a natural one. Perhaps Medical Officer Bauer can enlighten us.”

Medical Officer Bauer puffed and weezed just behind the two men, managing to sputter out only a single word, “Endurance.”

“Exactly,” Confirmed the Commander, “Almost all other animals are built for speed. They sprint, leaving their enemy far behind, and when they are done sprinting?”

Intelligence Officer Mayer blurted with a finger high in the air, “They must rest!”

“Human beings have little need for rest. Given the determination, we are able to chase our prey for dozens of kilometers per day. No being in the animal kingdom can evade us forever. That’s what makes us human, Private Brandt. We will keep going, no matter the pain, no matter the struggle, we will not quit.”

They moved on in silence for another kilometer or so. The initial burst of motivation that fueled them in the morning was waning. Then a massive golden light appeared at the end of a tunnel of trees and suddenly the trees themselves were gone. An open field of lush grass, graced with the sun’s glow launched out before their running feet. The bright expanse rode for kilometers to the left and right, meeting a blue horizon, and far on ahead of them to meet the foothills of the mountains, where the tracks seemed to be leading as well.

Escaping the forest drove dejected thoughts from the whole party; they raced ahead with more determination than when they began. After jogging through the fields for over an hour, a rustling in the grasses became perceptible, far ahead, still moving toward the mountains.

The Commander smiled, “Do you see that, Private Fischer!”

“Yes, sir!”

Private Brandt gave a choked laugh, “We’ll be on top of them in no time!”

The Commander hoped so. His uniform had nearly dried. Sweat flowed over his brow and burned his eyes. He could hardly hear the cheers of his men for the thunderous beat of his heart in his ears. The field seemed to become shorter but the mountains appeared as if they hadn’t moved, still looming massive on the horizon. Suddenly, the russling grasses ahead vanished over a hill. The party raced on and upon reaching the top of this brief climb, glimpsed their goal charging into the distance.

None stopped to catch their breath. The downward slope of the hill refreshed their momentum for the final stretch.

“They’ve increased in speed!” Private Muller shouted.

“They know we’re hunting them!” Private Beck added.

“They could… simply…” Medical Officer Bauer struggled, “be gaining… on their own prey!”

“How will we catch them now!” Private Roth cried.

The Commander, leading the charge, turned to Private Brandt, smiling, “How will we catch them?”

Private Brandt looked away from the Commander for a moment, appearing as if sorrow had struck his heart, then he confidently proclaimed, “Endurance!”

The Commander proudly looked on. The antlered beasts had reached the mountains, straddling a sheer cliff to their left. Seven meters to the right was a massive gorge between the hulking formations, stretching as far as the eye could see and reaching deep into the blackness of the earth. The Commander’s heart sunk. He could not consider giving up the hunt but was loath to follow the beasts along this path.

Private Brandt lept, “Perfect! If we can catch up to them along that narrow pass, they will have nowhere to run!”

To himself, the Commander thought, if they decide to attack us within that narrow pass, neither will we.

He could not call off the hunt, “Be on your guard, men! We are reaching the end of this endeavor!” Then, moving close to Private Fischer, he whispered, “Watch the rear.”

“Yes, sir.”

Was he favoring this one loyal soldier? Was he holding the one man’s fate as a higher priority than the others? This was not the time to consider such matters. He struck it from his mind and left those thoughts buried in the field behind him. Along the gorge they hurtled, the beasts not far ahead, one looked back toward them, glinting beads of eyes ravenous. It screeched at them and the whole herd charged forward with unfathomable speed. Harnessing what little the party had left, they broke out at a full sprint. The animals hurtled further and further away from them. Another line of trees stood at the end of the path, where the gorge careened away around the mountain to their right. In moments, the herd dissipated within the trees, becoming entirely lost from sight.

Still along the path, several dozen meters from the line of trees, the party stopped. Weezing, coughing and harsh breaths broke out among all, most prominent in the medical and intelligence officers. 

The Commander rested hands on hips and stretched backward, “Damn! That was foolish.”

“They’re gone now!” from Private Roth.

“We’ll never find them!” from Private Beck.

“We will. It will just take a bit longer. If we had kept at a jog we could have reached them once they tired, now we must find them amongst those trees. But have faith. We will.”

Intelligence Officer Mayer slapped his palm on the Commander’s shoulder, “I’m not sure-” quickly removing the hand upon seeing his expression, “I could take another step.”

A deafening roar echoed out of the trees and through the path, rippling flesh on bone. All gazed silently into the line of trees. Suddenly, the herd of antlered beasts charged back out of the line of trees toward them.

After a moment of hesitation, the Commander ordered, “Weapons ready!” Drawing and cocking of firearms sounded behind him, “Hold your ground!” Then the realization came, these beasts were not charging to strike, they were sprinting straight ahead at full speed, “Out of the way! Hold your fire!” The beasts moved past them without a glance. All heads turned to watch them dwindle down the path. Then the Commander turned toward the line of trees. He realized how foolish this hesitation had been a moment too late. Opening his mouth to give another order, a massive animal burst through the trees, towering above their own great height, lumbering, cloven hooved, and laden with teeth like swords. Though stumbling along the path that hardly surpassed its own width, it moved toward them with a terrified quickness, grunting and shaking its head in frustration.

“Run! Run! Get out of here!” These were not orders becoming a commander. His panic may be the death of them all.

They scattered down the pathway at full speed, breaths ragged, muscles aflame. The end of the gorge stood several minutes away, the behemoth constantly gaining. Every man ran only for himself, and if they died, they would die alone. This was no longer a party, but a horrified mob. Nowhere to be seen a suitable leader. At the very least, Private Fischer headed the group, furthest away from a still present danger.

Last in the line was Private Brandt, the stumbling hoofsteps of the behemoth shaking the earth beneath his feet, crippling his retreat. Death loomed closer and closer behind him. The Commander could not let this stand. He should have instinctively taken up the rear, put himself in most harm, the first line of defense for the men he lead. There must be reconciliation for this neglect of duty.

Turning, aiming his weapon, he fired haphazardly into the legs of the behemoth. It cried out and a foreleg landed on the very edge of the path. The stretch of earth beneath its hoof collapsed, launching it sideways into the gorge. And as it fell, its opposite foreleg flailed, striking Private Brandt in the chest, thrusting him into the abyss along with it. Desperate pleading screams bounded off the sides of the gorge and the cliff face resonating over and over endlessly in the ears of the Commander.


	9. Chapter 9

IX.

Within the chasm, birds were thrown from their trees by the deafening boom of the behemoth’s fall. This thunder from the depths of the earth was Private Brandt’s death knell. With it, his cries instantaneously ceased, but the echoes of his horror still rang in the Commander’s ears. Down he gazed into the abyss, and by his lead, the men followed a moment later. The darkness below was not complete. The tops of trees were visible, a tainted green in the looming deep. Even portions of the behemoth could be seen lying still beneath the branches. Private Brandt though, had vanished into oblivion. 

Medical Officer Bauer slowly approached the Commander, “The men… the men still need to eat.” He turned to look with the Commander, a hundred meters down into the gorge, “There’s a suitable meal waiting for us down there.”

The Commander shot raging eyes at the medical officer. They quickly softened, partly due to exhaustion, partly understanding, “Who has the rope?”

None responded, continuing to collectively stare below them. A moment passed slowly. The Commander almost could not bring himself to ask again. Luckily, he was not made to.

“I’ve got it here, sir.” Private Schulz wandered out from the other five men toward the Commander and the medical officer.

“Attach it to a sturdy rock formation and throw it over. It won’t get us all of the way, but it will help.”

“Right way, sir.” Private Schulz jogged off to find a suitable landmark.

“Take a moment, men! Then we’re moving out. You all still need to eat.” A few faces wandered up toward them, the rest gave no reaction. He breathed deeply then followed Private Schulz in the opposite direction.

Once the rope had been fastened to a sturdy rock, the party gathered and mentally prepared themselves for a task they may not be physically capable of. Private Roth was the first to lower himself into the chasm. Private Beck took the rope next, then Private Fischer. Private Muller leaned over the edge, shaking gently, watching the men struggle hand over hand.

The Commander lay a hand on his shoulder, causing him to flinch, “You can do it. You have come through far worse dangers thus far.”

Private Muller shook the fear from his mind, “For Emma. All I’ve done is for Emma. All to see Emma again.” And he lowered himself down.

Medical Officer Bauer followed. Intelligence Officer Mayer slipped upon reaching the edge, flailing his feet over the side, fingers gripped vicelike upon the rope. The Commander grabbed his wrists and held his gaze until he relaxed and disappeared down the rope. The Commander then ushered Private Schulz, who had been making sure the line held firm while the other men descended, to go before him. Finally, he dropped into the darkness after his men.

From above he observed the small shifting forms below. Private Roth and Private Beck who had reached the end of the line began carefully climbing down the shifting slope of loose rock that rolled down to the trees below. This descent was the path he had chosen for them. Every step they took was of his design. Every sore muscle, every seeping wound, every bead of sweat was of his design. Every brother lost. And every design of his was at the behest of the Leader.

He forced this thought from him. The Leader was not blameless in the pain these men experienced. It was his grand plan and his disregard for their safety that had caused this, and he felt guilt and shame for this doubt. But even with it, he refused to deny his own responsibility in this manner. Every step could have been taken differently, or even more carefully, to prevent the loss they had experienced. And the men who had themselves lost their lives, their silence sounded loudest in his mind.

Legs ached to once again carry the weight of his entire body upon reaching the loose earth at the end of the rope. He tugged the line hard twice with no result and turned to watch his men stretch out beneath him along the steep path. The slope was even more difficult to navigate than it had seemed. In the dim light there was little way to tell which steps would land firm, and which would cause the lower half of the body to slide forward and threaten a sweeping flight to the bottom. When the Commander was half way to the wooded earth, this threat was realized. In front of him, Private Schulz was flung to the ground by an untrustworthy stone and cascaded in a fury of debris past the others. All stopped to observe the landslide, shifting their balance to remain upright. The tumbling impact of rock on rock and rock on flesh faded. A wait pursued the last trickle of pebbles finding their resting place.

“Private Schulz!” The Commander called out.

“I’m alive, sir!”

Chuckles fluttered throughout the group. Relief. They had not lost another.

Private Roth shouted, “Your hands carry you well on the rope but your footing needs some work, Schulz!” Private Beck had passed him, finding Private Schulz sprawled against a tree and helping him to his feet. 

After all reached them, the Commander led the way toward the corpse of the behemoth. The forest floor was a dark blur of static shapes. The only reference point for navigation was the leaves reflecting dimly the sky far above. Several times one of the party tripped over a root that had escaped the earth or was entrenched in the mess of damp limbs that hung like a web across their trail. 

It took them a few minutes to reach the behemoth’s corpse, though they started a mere couple dozen meters away. The sun managed to light the grassy tumbling ground as the behemoth’s body had obliterated several trees upon landing. The party approached and stood facing its massive belly, wading in a shallow pool of blood.

The Commander stepped in front of the group, listening, watching the trees and the ground behind them and around the behemoth, “Medical Officer Bauer, find a suitable place for Private Schulz to recover and make sure he hasn’t sustained any major injuries.”

“Certainly.”

“Private Roth, start cutting pieces from the body suitable for eating.”

“On it, sir.”

“Private Beck and Private Muller, make a fire. While you’re retrieving firewood do not step into the woods or go where the rest can’t see you. There should be enough loose pieces from these shattered trees.”

They started off silently.

“Intelligence Officer Mayer.”

“Sir!”

The Commander thought of what he might say, “See… see if you can figure out anything about the wildlife in this area from your research.”

“Right away, sir!”

The Commander had already turned away, “Private Fischer.” He paused again, “We’re going to scout the area around the beast. We will be back before not too long.” To the others.

“Yes, sir!”

The party went to their assigned tasks while Private Fischer followed closely behind the Commander around the head of the behemoth. Meter long canines lay shattered within and around its mouth, the left side of the head was flush with the earth, bone fragments stabbed into the soil, stained red. Its eyes were bulging from their sockets, still horrified, as if it had never stopped falling. Around its back they stood with the silence of the wood behind them. A wind rushed through the trees, pushing them toward what was before them. Partially buried under the behemoth a chunky mass of mulched flesh painted red a colorless uniform. Jagged bones thrust upward, piercing cloth to arch inward as a beartrap. A spattered helmet hid what the Commander assumed was no longer the face of a young man.

The Commander aimed a gentle look toward Private Fischer, allowing him to take the time he needed. When Private Fischer finalled looked back, his face was blank, uncomprehending.

Then the glaze swept from his eyes and he nodded, “Yes, sir.”

They dragged what remained of Private Fischer away from the massive corpse, some loose fragments were left behind. Not far into the darkness of the trees they used their hands to dig a shallow grave, covering it with dirt, rocks, and dead leaves. Once none of the mutilated figure was visible, Private Fischer stood in silence over the heap of compost, eyes closed. But when the Commander rose he simply walked away in silence, Private Fischer immediately chasing after.

Upon reaching the camp they found the smell of roasting meat and the six soldiers sitting around the fire whose light masked the waning of what light remained in the coming dusk. Private Schulz was among them, the bandage across his shoulder hardly a noticeable addition to the others scattered throughout the group. The party ate ravenously, having to cut more and more slabs of meat from the dead beast. Boots became sticky and caked with blood as they walked again through the pool surrounding the corpse. Extra meat was cooked and stored in Private Beck’s backpack. The decision was made, after light deliberation, to keep the fire burning through the night. They welcomed the added warmth, hoping whatever might be kept at bay by the fire was more fierce than what may be drawn to it.

The Commander lay down at the edge of the line of trees, the rest of the party, staying closer to the fire, were all visible to him. Private Fischer once again was closer to him than any other. He was unsure of how to feel about these recent happenings. All once again wrought solely by his hand. The men were warm with full bellies and facing the first decent night’s rest in days, yet another of their number was dead. Dead as much by his decision as Private Weber. He should have brought up the rear during the chase, should have known ahead of time the herd of beasts was fleeing something, should have been more careful when leading them along the edge of the gorge. They may then be in a very similar situation, dining on the meat of the herd, next to an open fire, but in the field under the mountains, and with Private Brandt feasting among them. It was thoughts like these that sullied good leaders. The corruption of hindsight and the damnation of forever second guessing steered those tempted to madness. He refused to surrender himself to his guilt, instead taking it as determination to do better, act smarter, think faster. Yet once again, all his thoughts led him back to the same question as before. Can all this not be said of the Great Leader?

The silhouette of Medical Officer Bauer grew steadily as he approached from the fire until his black mass loomed over the Commander, “How close do you believe we are to the end of this mission?”

“I do not know. We must find a suitable spot for a settlement. It would be the Leader’s greatest achievement to populate this hidden land.”

“Have we not accomplished this already? What of the plains? They were more than adequate for farming. Or even the woods? Some feral beasts and rotting creatures would pose no danger to the Leader’s invading army.”

The Commander struggled to find a response, “I will not settle for something adequate . We are looking for the best possible spot, and also gathering highly valuable reconnaissance while we do so.”

“And what of your men? What will become of them in the process?”

“Medical Officer Bauer, you overstep your rank again with such questions. If we were not so desperate, I may be aiming more than words at you.”

“Petty threats. And you know my questions come from my respect for these men. I want nothing more than to see them home alive.”

Against his better judgement, the Commander paused a moment to long after this remark.

Medical Officer Bauer knelt down, “You have considered the journey home, have you not? Do you think we are, even at this point, equipped for it?”

The Commander forced his eyes to meet on the invisible gaze of his interrogator, “We are the Leader’s army. There is nothing we cannot overcome.”

“Nothing we cannot overcome? You mean to say, even if there may not be a way home?”

The Commander was annoyed by this game, “State your question directly, Medical Officer Bauer.”

Silence pervaded, then, “From the moment we entered this land, your last priority has been the return journey-”

“Perhaps because that is the last phase of the mission.”

“No. You have had no thought of returning home, nor even much thought of the mission. You throw the idea of the mission around to ward off questioning of your orders-”

“Though my orders should not be questioned in the first place.”

“Let me finish! All this and you have thrown yourself and all your men into every danger imaginable as if it is your last resort! What has become of you! Your men are dying! Dropping like flies before you! What has happened to make you so brash! Are you so frightened of failure? Do you not believe the Great Leader will take the very discovery of this land as a miracle on our part? Is there something or someone waiting for you back home that frightens you so much to where you would rather die in this place and your men along with you?” Medical Officer Bauer slowed and lowered his voice once more, “What is it? What are you not saying? Did something happen in the caves? Or at the pool? Did something happen in the tunnel?”

The Commander’s eyes remained locked on the shadowed sockets.

“Commander. Did something happen in the tunnel?”

He received no response.

“What happened in the tunnel Commander! You must be honest with your men! It is your duty!”

“Thomas Bauer! You are no longer permitted to speak freely. From here on out, my orders will stand as the first and last opinion you have on any matter, and if you question them or beraid me with your insubordination one more time this party will lose a very valuable medical officer. Do not doubt my words.”

The silhouette almost imperceptibly shook, then went still, “Sir.”

“You will keep first watch.”

“...Sir.”

The black figure dwindled in size as it moved toward the opposite perimeter of the camp. As the medical officer crossed to the other side of the fire, the Commander noticed blood drenching his hands to the wrist. There had been no opportunity to wash them in the last several days. The dried brown liquid had cracked in several places, pale flesh shining through, as if these were the wounds a healer suffered. Looking down at his own hands, he realized for the first time blood covered him to his elbows. Not blood brought from reviving his brothers, but wrought from erasing them, time and time again.

It took him a very long time to fall asleep.


	10. Chapter 10

X.

The morning shared much in common with the night. Faded light wavered across the behemoth’s clearing as the party gathered their supplies. The Commander led them into the darkness of the trees, Medical Officer Bauer following very close behind him.

Hardly a minute had passed in the looming dark before the Commander pulled the battered flashlight from his pocket and made their passage significantly easier. None asked where the device had come from. The days march was arduously long and difficult. At time the trees grew so close together, or shrubs so tall and gnarled stood in their way, they were forced to diverge dozens of meters to the left or right to pass them. Roots sprung from the earth waited for unassuming steps. Vines, low branches, and imperceptible brush continuously grabbed at them and tore their uniforms which were becoming quite unrecognizable. The ray of the flashlight translated strange images into their minds. Every knoll a face grinning, every wooden limb an arm reaching, every tree and bush menacingly welcomed them to wander deeper into their home. Several times they veered too far left or too far right and were halted by the sloping feet of the gorge, but always they moved forward. Their path gradually turned as the gorge hugged the mountain range to the right, and though the wood became no less dense, it livened the group to find the chasm becoming more shallow each time they met it.

A brief meal and a dozen hours of frustrated marching later and the gorge had become level with them. The men tried to feel joy, they had thought this would give them a sense of freedom to be able to travel without walls on either side, but all the crevasse opened up to was more sprawling wicked forest, now with no end in front nor on either side, and no light of the sun to greet them from above. Outside of the flashlight’s beam was an endless mass of grey shapes, foaming and seething as their eyes struggled and failed in adjusting to the dimness.

The Commander then stopped. The party took a breath, rubbing their knees. He aimed his light at a tree, then another.

Intelligence Officer Mayer whipped his head from side to side, “I believe night is falling. I suppose it doesn’t much matter but… it’ll become even darker soon.”

“I know.” Agreed the Commander, “These trees don’t look so sinister.”

A grunt shot from Medical Officer Bauer, but no speech followed it.

“In fact they seem ripe for climbing.” The Commander said almost to himself, then, turning to the rest, “Unless any of you wish to find a spot on the ground, these trees should keep us safe from any forest beasts I know of.”

Intelligence Officer Mayer spoke out, “We have not yet encountered a beast we know of.”

“Whether or not that could have been prevented,” He paused, looking at the intelligence officer, “I cannot prepare for dangers I am unaware of. Climb.”

Intelligence Officer Mayer began his climb. Private Schulz followed, scaling the tree with difficulty, though assisted by Private Fischer. The Commander ascended immediately after Private Fischer. With the mess of branches near the top, there was not much threat of falling, and was in some ways more comfortable than the earth they laid upon the last few nights. 

He looked down watch the remainder of the party approach the adjacent tree. Private Roth bounded and leapt up the tree with no hesitation. Private Muller stood, shaking his head at the endeavor. Private Beck placed a hand on his shoulder, and Private Muller could be heard to say, “For Emma.” then started to climb with Private Beck close behind. Medical Officer Bauer was last to find his perch.

Though the men were exhausted and the day had been mercilessly weary, the Commander could finally be happy with the results. There were full stomachs amongst them, they had traversed several kilometers and he hoped in the morning to reach the peak of this tree and see an end to this wood on the horizon. Finally, what at least felt like progress. Finally, a day without suffering.

He use to sleep in trees similar to this one. On the edge of the wood near his parents home. A colorful book laying over his chest. Just before dozing off, he realized he almost had to add the neglect of assigning a watch to his mistakes. Upon resigning to be lookout himself for the whole night, sleep took him.


	11. Chapter 11

XI.

Twirling and twirling, down down down. Creaking gently. Hissing softly. Champ champ, they went with their beaks. Looking looking looking. Looking here, looking there, looking everywhere at once. A feast, they hissed softly with their beaks. They grabbed with the right hand, they grabbed with the left, wrapping tasty treats in winding parcels then moving to the next. Tip toeing with one foot, then another, then another, then another. Then another. Then another. Then another. They look everywhere at once to champ their beaks at tasty treats.


	12. Chapter 12

XII.

Crackling gunfire woke him. He shot forward from the branch and a collage of black pupils met his. A shout escaped his mouth. He slipped, tumbling from his perch to the ground meters below. His voice was thrust from him, forcing him to watch as Private Roth and a horde of legs and eyes dwindling from the boughs above blinked in and out of existence with every shot of Private Roth’s gun. Hands struggled for the flashlight, deep within a pocket. Wrenching it out, he aimed it at the tree he had fallen from. A monster appeared with the ray of light, hissed, then vanished just as quickly.

The Commander stood, with a hand on his firearm, and aimed the light to the sky, spraying bullets wherever the light may land. In seconds the trees were vacant of the monsters. He pointed the flashlight at Private Roth’s tree. Private Roth and Medical Officer Bauer stared blankly back at him, and they only. Spinning toward his own tree he found no one to stare back. The branches hung vacant but for a few loose items, a helmet here, a bedroll there.

Medical Officer Bauer and Private Roth descended from the tree, walking up behind the Commander.

Private Roth slapped his hands on his helmet, “Where did they go!”

“Shh!” The Commander flicked off the flashlight and waited for the silence to betray itself. From far beyond his tree, the faint tap of exoskeleton meeting wood faded further away.

Flicking the flashlight back on, the Commander charged into the chaotic blackened woods with his two subordinates close behind. Firearms were held straight ahead as they ran, ready for anything that stood in their way. The flight was reckless, shoulders struck trees, sleeves, pant legs and bandages were torn wide, ripped from the grasping foliage. As fierce as the pursuit was, they moved too fast and struggled to passionately against the environment to be ready for whatever may meet them when they caught up. The thud of hundreds of legs running along the trees grew louder. The soldiers chase moved faster. The forest fought harder against them.

All audible signs of the pursued then vanished. The Commander looked to the treetops for but a moment and was swept off his feet. His body swung forward through the air a brief distance before bounding backward and remaining suspended inches from the ground.

“Oh God!” Private Roth froze as Medical Officer Bauer caught up.

The flashlight hung in the air just out of reach of the Commander’s restrained arm. Its light splayed the shadow of the massive black net he was dangling from across the layered boughs of the trees beyond. Scattered movements flitted between the shadow strands.

“Cover me!” Ordered Medical Officer Bauer, drawing his knife.

Private Roth turned toward the darkness behind them, then above, below and around. Nothing could be heard or seen but the darkness began shifting more quickly past the rays through the web. He began frantically scattering bullets into the abyss. Medical Officer Bauer slashed and cut with relative precision, though the blade lost potency with every elastic tendril left clinging to it. Finally, the Commander was able to gather enough momentum to grab the flashlight from above and tear himself to the earth, his whole front a mess of drooping black tentacles. 

Immediately he turned to Private Roth, who ceased fire once the light was upon him. Private Roth turned just as a massive of blackness flew from its surroundings, thrusting him to the ground. The moment slowed as the Commander raised his firearm, watching in fine detail Private Roth’s body trapped supine behind a mess of spindly legs, like bars of a cage made from the void between stars. The monster unwound its fidgeting tail, a taloned point ready to penetrate. The Commander’s firearm was fully raised after less than a second, yet somehow Private Roth was faster. Green and red mulch exploded in a shower above him, the bars of his cage falling to each side. Medical Officer Bauer grasped his colorfully lathered hand, yanking him to his feet.

Once again facing toward the gaping hole in the black curtain, they could make out only more black strands within, trailing in every conceivable direction, matting the whole forest floor and taking shape in the mock likeness of trees and rock formations. The only point of reference for any shapes in the void were the golden reflections of the flashlight dancing off the strings.

The Commander closed his eyes for a moment, then pressed forward. Within the black castle he swung the flashlight in every direction, determined not to be caught off guard again. They were forced to wander further in, searching for their brothers and finding no immediate threat. No monsters could be seen in the glimmering golden ray and absolute silence pervaded. Not even their footfalls pierced the looming void, though they struggled to free themselves from the coated earth with every step. It was as if this were the graveyard of sound and light. It could be that none of the monsters dwelled within the black castle, though the Commander found it more likely they were able to navigate in utterly noiselessly. Their forms may blend with their webbing, he may even be staring directly at one with every flick of the light and be unaware of it.

A mass of trees was then before them, grown so close together that they wound and twisted about each other reaching up into a tower vault. The swirling black pillar seemed to materialize before them as the light revealed more of it. In the uppermost branches, sometimes plastered with strands to the trunk of the pillar, sometimes suspended from a taut line of darkness, five pale faces peaked out through bulging cocoons. Below, three mouths gaped, yet no words formed.

The light raised perfectly vertical to them and a shudder flowed through the three men as the monsters slowly appeared, descending from above, dozens of forms shadowed by a foaming mass of reaching limbs. 

The soldiers formed a triangle back to back and fired relentlessly into the air. Corpses thundered to the earth around them in a wave of oozing carapaces. There was barely time to reload before they swarmed from all around them, flooding the ground, leaping from trees, still descending from the nether of the heavens. The Commander did his best to hold the largest portion of the attackers he could as Private Roth and Medical Officer Bauer fought in almost complete darkness, finding targets only by the glint of their eyes from the reflected light and the flash of their previous shot. They were all nearly blinded by the strobing blasts between light and dark. Still images of razor beaks, millions of thrashing legs and a sky littered with eyes faded long after the monsters who owned them were dead.

One of the squirming things launched from the air and barrelled into the group, throwing them apart. Chaos ensued. All three twirled and danced in circles, spraying bullets into the void. The black castled hissed back at them. The Commander dove to the ground, praying time to reload. By the ray of his flashlight he saw Medical Officer Bauer kicking one monster while thrusting his knife into another. The Commander stood and his ray found Private Roth, whose arm had been sprayed with black silk, throwing punches into the eyes of the monsters before him as he fired into the deep. The Commander turned and sent bullets rocketting into a glossy head, sendings eyes splattering across the green, red and black dripping tatters that were once his uniform. Another dropped directly in front of him, he stumbled and fell over a carcasse. Over its dead kin the twitching thing crawled before being ripped apart by gunfire. On his feet once again, he witnessed Medical Officer Bauer firing wildly with clenched teeth, just as one of the monsters flew from the darkness, drenching the ground with blood. Medical Officer Bauer spun before falling.

The Commander pointed the light straight ahead, vaulting over corpses and scattering bullets aimlessly behind him. Private Roth regrouped with him over the body of the medical officer and they tore into the monsters until their firearms sputtered into silence. Again a kaleidoscope of eyes lunged from the void toward the Commander, but met only the hilt of Private Roth’s knife. Private Roth tore the blade from it and thrust it hilt deep again and repeated as a scream rent his lungs.

The Commander lay a hand upon him and he slowed, then stopped, hanging his head. The flashlight pointed a small beam of light toward the earth, illuminating the two of them and the still form of the medical officer from below. Silence once again consumed them. Darkness hugging close. Yet now nothing could see them. And they could see nothing.


	13. Chapter 13

XIII.

Medical Officer Bauer groaned.

The Commander knelt and aimed the light on him, “Are you alright?”

He sat up and gripped the gaping wound in his arm. Words came slow and hoarse, “Get those brave soldiers down from there.”

The Commander and Private Roth dodged around a litter of corpses to reach the tree. The climb was miserable. Branches broke, or slit open flesh. One struggled to make his own way while lighting the way of the other and both fought to keep a steady grip while avoiding becoming helplessly stuck to the tightly spun trunk. Yet the Commander rose desperately upward. He had spied Private Fischer’s face from the bottom and though Private Schulz was closer, he passed the incapacitated man by to reach his goal.

Below, Private Roth hung before Private Beck. Drawing his knife, he began to tear the tendrils that draped the body to the wall. Private Beck gasped, as if he had never breathed before. Not long after he was able to tear himself loose, resting on the branches near his cocoon, drenched in sweat, as Private Roth moved on.

The Commander at last reached Private Fischer. He stabbed and thrust angrily into the mass gripping the man to the trunk. Private Fischer gasped too as he came loose and the Commander clasped his hands around Private Fischer’s face, laughing to himself.

“My lad!”

“Yes, sir.”

By this time, Intelligence Officer Mayer had been released by Private Roth, nearly falling the moment he was freed. Private Roth struggled to keep him from tumbling down the pillar. Far out on a limb, Private Muller dangled with boots in the air. Suddenly, he awoke.

He looked confused at his feet above, then toward the ground that seemed to dwindle away, “Oh God! Oh dear God, Lord in Heaven! Oh God, please! Please!”

“Private Muller!” Shouted Private Beck. Private Muller did not respond, though he stopped shouting. Private Beck slipped, struggled, and pushed on, making his way as quickly as he could toward the sound of Private Muller’s sobs. Reaching out from a weary limb, Private Beck took hold of the dangling cocoon and reeled it in, draping the slack line across a sturdier branch so he could use his knife to cut Private Muller out of his cell. Halfway through the process, Private Muller’s hand slipped free. He reached out desperately and grabbed his liberator’s hand. They clasped each other tightly before pulling until Private Muller was wrenched free. Private Beck held him close about the shoulders, supporting him on the tentative limb.

Private Muller continuously whispered, “To see my Emma again. I want to see her.”

Private Roth assisted Private Fischer and Intelligence Officer Mayer in scaling to the bottom of the black pillar. Private Beck and Private Muller began to make their way as well, both swaying profusely. The Commander lit their way from above as he climbed on, far beyond the other cocoons, out onto a firm limb that reached just under the last of his captured men. When all had safely reached the ground, he aimed the flashlight toward Private Schulz. There was little of him to be seen. An eye glared out from behind the black wrappings, wide and empty of thought. Teeth protruded as well, viscous green liquid foaming from their cracks. The Commander drew the flashlight way, starting for the closer limbs of the trunk again, taking a longer than he needed to reach the bottom.

At the base of the black pillar, Medical Officer Bauer frantically tended to those captured, though he looked pale to the point of death himself, his arm still foaming blood. As the Commander approached, all but the medical officer turned to him.

Private Roth spoke for them, “Where is Private Schulz?”

The Commander sighed and looked toward the canopy of night, “Up there.”

“And you left him up there!”

“We need to get out of here now. There is no time for that.”

“You’re letting him rot just like Privates Brandt, Richter, Sommer and-!”

“Now is not the time!”

Medical Officer Bauer calmly interjected, “What was the cause of death?”

The Commander remained quietly puzzled.

“Were there any wounds? Signs of suffocation? Come on, man! What killed him!”

“There was… a green liquid pouring from him.”

The soldiers hung their heads while the medical officer bounded for his pack, “As I feared.” He tore caps from bottles, drew syringes and gauze.

“Are… are we poisoned?” Private Muller asked as Medical Officer Bauer gripped his arm tightly.

“It is likely.”

Private Beck watched the medical officer administer an unknown liquid to Private Muller, “Will that even work?”

“I don’t know! It is probable, in this land, the makeup of the poison is composed of substances unknown to man, but this is all I have. What it cannot do, your bodies will have to.” He swayed and nearly fell as he drew out the syringe. One arm brought him back upright while the other called for Private Fischer next.

The Commander walked over to him, “Medical Officer Bauer, you must address your own wounds.”

“My first duty is to my men.” He glared up at the Commander before returning to his work, “As you well know, Commander.”

“If you do not tend to your wounds, you will die before you have a chance to do your duty.”

“Then tend to them yourself! I am preoccupied.” Medical Officer Bauer furiously, yet with the utmost precision, continued to doctored Private Fischer.

“What must I do?”

A sigh escaped the medical officer, “First make a tourniquet.”

The Commander hurried to carry out Medical Officer Bauer’s instructions, who directed his own patient care while caring for the others. In time, the whole party seemed in a stable condition, though the medical officer and Private Beck were still dripping with sweat.

“You say we are finished, but you still do not look well.” Voiced the Commander.

Medical Officer Bauer glanced down at his roughly patched wound, “The arm will have to go, but we need fire before that can happen to cauterize the wound, and I do not think it wise to start that process here.

“Then we move out.”

The party stumbled through the shifting void toward the gaping hole in the black castle’s wall. Private Fischer and Intelligence Officer Mayer took long, lumbering steps behind Private Roth, the Commander and the medical officer holding his limp arm. Private Beck supported Private Muller, nearly to the point of carrying his fellow brother, though his own condition looked worse. Upon reaching the threshold, they escaped into a night still of total darkness, but with more color than before bouncing back at them from the beam of light in the Commander’s hand.

It was here than Private Beck collapsed with Private Muller on top of him. Private Muller immediately pushed himself to a kneeling position and laid a hand on Private Beck, who sat up slowly, then vomited the viscous green liquid onto himself. He fell onto his back. Private Muller hung over him, grasping the breast of his tattered uniform, the rest of the party stood over him. Private Beck’s hand shot up, slapping an open palm on Private Muller’s shoulder and tugging him downward with a manic strength. A smile graced the supine man’s bloodied, oozy green lips for a moment, then his gripped slackened.


	14. Chapter 14

XIV.

Six soldiers trudged for hours back to the trees that had made their unfortunate beds. Three fought against their own poisoned bodies. The fourth assisted in keeping the fifth on his stumbling feet. And the last carried the corpse that marked another set of six who he had neglected to protect, then failed to save. Would any more succumb to the poison? He would carry them all. One day, he must go back. For Private Schulz, and Private Richter, Private Sommer, and most of all, Private Weber. If he could ever travel that road again.

Their way was paved with boot prints and broken branches that told one half of the other’s journey to the black castle. The density of the wood lightened progressively along their trek, so that by the time they reached the trees that held their perch, a forest once suffocated and threatening, was now not such a dreary place. Dawn had come, their spirits brightened at the dim glow that gave the leaves above them the hint of color. A meager pyer was raised in the space between the trees. The Commander gently lay Private Beck’s body upon it and removed his helmet.

Private Fischer, Private Muller, Intelligence Officer Mayer and Medical Officer Bauer sat quivering with sweat and nausea against the two trees as Private Roth lit the pyre and the Commander watched it rise above him. Approaching the medical officer, the Commander drew his knife. Medical Officer Bauer fumbled with his bandaged but managed to remove them, then Private Roth restrained him against the tree. This knife was the only possession of the Commander’s that was not now stained with the blood of his brothers. In a moment he would have nothing. Medical Officer Bauer’s screams shot through the trees, shaking leaves and marring the quiet wood. Nearly an entire arm was then thrown to the flames. The Commander quickly set Private Beck’s helmet on the barrel of his gun and held it in the fire until it glowed white. With the assistance of Private Roth, Medical Officer Bauer lifted the stump that remained. This time he echoed no cries, but simply lay his head back against the tree, shaking it slightly, eyes drifting open, then closed. 

The charred stump was quickly wrapped and the Commander knelt down in front of Medical Officer Bauer, “Is there anything else to be done?” 

Medical Officer Bauer did not react to the question.

“It will have to be enough.” He stood looking into the trees, then back at the pyre, “We should eat quickly, then move on. Private Roth, retrieve the remaining supplies that were left in the trees. Where is the food pack?”

Private Muller looked up slowly, “Private Beck had it.”

Private Roth shouted from the branches above, “His pack wasn’t with him when I let him loose.”

A chill bit the Commander’s spine, “Can you see it up there?”

Several seconds passed, “No.”

It must have fallen somewhere when he was taken.”

Private Roth called out again, “So that’s it then? There’s no food!”

Private Muller’s head fell into his hands, “We could… we could go back to the behemoth and take more meat.”

Medical Officer Bauer’s head lifted, the words slurred out, “Two and a half days old by the time we get there. Rotten in this climate.”

The Commander called to the trees again, “Private Roth! If you can scale to the top, tell us how far the forest reaches!”

They waited a moment.

A muffled shout wove through the leaves, “As far as the eye can see!”

"We must move on, we will find food on the way.”

Private Muller’s voice cracked, “We are going to die in this hellhole!”

The Commander strode three wide steps to Private Muller, bearing the seated man roughly toward him by the front of his uniform, “Listen, soldier! You can be tired! You can be starving! You can be poisoned, bleeding and mournful! But you will not be a coward!”

The private turned his eyes away, lip quivering. The Commander set him down gently and patted him on the chest.

“Gather your strength while Private Roth and I make a gurney for Medical Officer Bauer. Then we move out. We will find food. We have done it before.”

Private Roth reached the ground with a heaping pile of discarded goods. A makeshift hammock was made for the medical officer from a bedroll and two sturdy branches. Private Muller and Private Fischer, with the flashlight, marched limply before the Commander and Private Roth, hauling their burden. The forest was endless, as Private Roth had suggested. Hours passed without the slightest change of environment. Brush and branches still grasped, trees mocked, and the passing from morning to evening was unnoticeable. The only difference marking a change from the journey the day prior was the excruciating exhaustion that gripped the entire party. 

Near dusk the Commander slipped. On his hands and knees he heard Medical Officer Bauer crash roughly behind him. The shufflings of Private Roth resituating his immobile superior continued behind him as Private Fischer held out a hand, sickly pale. He silently waved Private Fischer away, hanging his head to catch his breath. There, in the dirt below him, was his journal. It had been forgotten in his breast pocket all this time. Nearly from the moment the party had entered this land, he had neglected his duty to log all the happenings of the mission. Would hindsight change the tale? He gave it another long glance, closed his eyes, then stood. Grasping his hands around the handles of the medical officer’s gurney, he lifted it, and ordered his men to move out.

When a patch of forest floor was chosen for rest, each man fell to their hands which shook violently, then collapsed upon themselves. Private Roth volunteered for first watch. The flashlight was given to him and the men around him, huddled in a close circle with Medical Officer Bauer on his gurney in the middle, fell immediately into unconsciousness.

An improvement to their situation manifested itself the next day as Medical Officer Bauer deemed himself fit to continue on foot. Astoundingly, Private Fischer and Private Muller’s situation seemed to have improved as well, their sickness ebbing despite poor sleep, tireless marches and lack of food. Exhaustion from the poison had indeed been replaced by exhaustion from starvation, but the Commander found this an improvement none the less. The rest of the day was identical to the previous. They walked on endlessly, stumbling or falling more and more frequently. Multiple times various members of the miserable band thought they had been going in circles, but when Private Roth scaled the nearest tree, the confirmation always came down that they mountains were moving farther away, directly behind them.

The end of this day came without any signs of food. Indeed, without any signs of life whatsoever. Not the fluttering of a bird, nor the glinting eye of a predator lurking between distance trunks, nor the scuttling of insects within the rotted roots all about them. Only the everlasting walls of the dark tunnel of trees leading them onward toward nothing but itself. Private Muller attempted to gnaw on the bark of a loose tree limb but the taste was apparently untenable.

Again they sat down to rest. Minutes later their drooping eyes were mirrored by the flickering of the flashlight. Its ray unceremoniously faded into the void, abandoning them to a suffocating nothingness. They sat in silence for a moment. The only noise persisting in the gloom was a fierce rumbling of stomachs. No watch was set that night, for there was nothing to watch, and all would need rest for what would surely be another indescribably horrible day. The Commander had no thoughts left. His doubts had solidified themselves. His reasoning concluded. The only request he asked of this chaotic world, is that he would not die in this pit, devoid of hope, without salvation.


	15. Chapter 15

XV.

The Commander awoke. The dim glow illuminating the trees from above, the only distinguishing factor between day and night, told him it was time to rise. He looked down at his watch for the first time in days. None of the hands showed any signs of movement but they presented the time as exactly three o’clock. Whether the watch had reached the end of its final rotation at three in the morning, or three in the afternoon some day prior, was uncertain. He unfastened the watch and held it up before him, reading for only the second time the engraving on the back. Then his fingers opened and it dropped into the mud.

Some members of the party were already awake, or had not slept. They roused the others, rose slowly, very slowly, to their feet, and set off into the darkness. Shapes wandered passed their eyes, acting as an untrustworthy point of reference. Certain black spaces that seemed less black than the rest guided them on. The leaves mild light gave no sense of direction, illuminated nothing but itself, and cast no shadows. All the treetops informed them was the leaves were in the warmth of the sun, and the party was down below. 

On for kilometers they took short, careful steps, most times preventing them from tripping over loose roots. This caution did not prevent being caught and scratched by black forms reaching into the path, or walking headlong into some low hanging object. Suddenly, the clamor of a body hitting the dirt came from the back of the group.

The Commander stopped and turned, “Who has fallen?”

Only the trees responded with the echo of his words.

“Who has fallen?”

Again, he was give no answer.

“Medical Officer Bauer!”

“Here.”

“Private Muller!”

“Here.”

“Private Fischer!”

“Yes, sir.”

“Private Roth!”

“Not me.”

“Intelligence Officer Mayer!”

A groan drifted from the back of the party.

“Intelligence Officer Mayer, are you able to continue on!”

Another groan was all that replied. The Commander trudged past the others, bumping a few in the blind dark, and straddled up next to the disembodied groans on the ground.

“Rise, Intelligence Officer Mayer.”

“I…” The voice struggled for a moment then ceased.

“Rise! Intelligence Officer Mayer!”

“Just… just…”

The Commander heaved a deep sigh, “We all face the same pains as you, now you will rise, or die here in the dirt!”

“I’m… sorry… I just… need…” The voice petered out once more.

The Commander felt his jaw quivering. He felt his brow furrow. He felt his leg rise behind him then thrust forward into the darkness, throwing a shapeless mass backward. A cry bellowed through the trees.

“You will rise!”

Medical Officer Bauer called out, “Commander!”

His boot displaced the shapeless mass again, “You will do your duty!”

The impact began to strike pain through his foot, “You will stand! You will complete the mission!”

His next thrust was met with a crack, “You are an officer of the Great Leader’s army!”

The mass was now hardly reacting to the attacks, “It is your duty! Your honor! To ensure your men do not die! Neglected! Under your protection!”

A cough sputtered at the next impact, “Rise!”

A wheezing breath at the next, “Up!”

A short squeal at the next, “Now!”

Fingers gripped his sleeve and drove him backward. The arm spun him around and Medical Officer Bauer’s words launched spittle into his face, “Commander! Control yourself!”

Before he could respond, Private Muller shouted through the blind air, “My God! Look there!”

At first, he could see nothing, though Private Roth gasped. The darkness shifted as he sidestepped and inched closer, then he saw. Far beyond, in the ocean of black, a bright spot of light illuminated the trees and earth. The Commander stood and stared, gathering himself. The scrapes of a man rising to his feet behind him tore his attention away from the spectacle. He turned back toward Intelligence Officer Mayer for a moment, not seeing or being seen. Then he turned back ahead and closed his eyes.

“Move out, men.”


	16. Chapter 16

XVI.

The shimmering spot on the horizon grew with each passing step. At times it vanished behind trunks and branches, yet always faithfully reappeared larger than before. They moved as fast as they were able, which, given their condition, was a walking pace. Even at this pace, the Commander had no thought of caution. He and his men tripped and fell on several occasions, shoulders struck trees, tears in the remainder of their uniform grew. Then, almost without their knowledge, no trees were before them.

The newfound sun blinded the Commander as much as the forest had. Upon his eyes adjusting, he saw they had reached a massive glade. The forest rode far around it and met his gaze on the other side, though this did not dishearten him. In the center of the glade was a massive tree, towering dozens of meters above the others, and around it, were wooden structures. Buildings. Finely crafted and painted bright colors. Lush flower gardens lined the homes and stone pathways. Meat and bread were cooking somewhere, somewhere in the distance.

The Commander wandered freely toward the village. The party behind him followed at leisure, spreading farther and wider from him, stopping to smell foliage and wonder at the woodworked structures. Figures danced and shifted about the village, but they did not come in direct contact with anyone. Upon reaching the massive tree, the Commander turned to survey the whole of the glade. No place in all of his homeland could match its beauty, cut gently from the forest surrounding it, that stretched on to the horizon, blocked by the mountain range that seemed a framed picture in the distance.

From the buildings, the gardens, and behind the trees several figures appeared, moving slowly toward them. People, they were. Strange, but certainly people. Tall, taller than each of them, with deeply tanned skin, light hair, and colorful robes and tunics that shimmered flawless with the sun. Their ears were dainty and very round, their faces smooth, and childlike, without wrinkles, though some seemed quite old. They formed into crowd before the party and the robed man standing foremost, elderly, yet ageless, greeted them with open arms.

When he spoke, it was in a language not their own, yet the Commander understood it, and he knew Medical Officer Bauer and Intelligence Officer Mayer did as well. The elderly man said with a warming smile, “Welcome to our village, gentlemen. You look in dire need of a hot meal, new clothes and a good night's rest. We would be more than happy to have you as our guests.”

The Commander turned, horrified, to Medical Officer Bauer, who asked, “How are they here?”

Intelligence Officer Mayer rasped, “Good God, what have we stumbled upon?”

Private Roth said in disbelief, “Is that… French?”

The six men drew their firearms in a moment. The Commander immediately shouted, “Fire!”

The crowd before then did not react when the party drew their weapons. The welcoming gaze of the elder, arms still spread, held on the Commander as they took aim. The village stood wholly unprepared. Blood sprayed from their bodies in waves. As the perforated corpses of those in front fell to the earth, those behind spasmed and quivered in the hail of bullets, soon to join them. Cries of terror were silenced the moment they began, drowned out by an even louder report. Some used their bodies to shield children, but hardly slowed their attackers before falling. Seconds later, only six men remained in the village. None had even time to think of running. The last shot of the Commander’s weapon and the last scream of a mother joining her child loomed, rolling out of the village, over the trees and on toward the mountains.

A shapeless mass of red cloth was laid out before the soldiers. They walked across it, aiming their weapons down, making sure their work was finished. As they stepped to the other side of the seeping mass, they stared once again at what they had wrought. Then Private Roth thrust his weapon in the air and roared, a glorious, booming roar. Private Muller and Intelligence Officer Mayer followed him. Medical Officer Bauer and Private Fischer next. The Commander was almost surprised to find his own weapon held aloft, and his own throat bellowing their victory.

When their chant died off, it left nothing in it wake. The wind was hollow, clouds shifted, the great tree that stood on the opposite side of the massacre creaked and groaned. The six men stood looking at each other. The Commander was, for a moment, unsure of what to do, or who to command. Lightning flashed in their vision, the boom of thunder quivering the ground at their feet. Then a torrential rain began. It cascaded furiously from the sky, which had turned black in an instant. 

The Commander realized what he had forgotten, “The colors! Private Roth! The colors!”

Private Roth threw off his pack into the now foaming mud, he struggled within for a moment then drew out a gleaming tube of cloth. The Commander searched around him for a moment, then Private Fischer brought forth the elderly man’s walking stick. Some tied the cloth to the rod while others assured not a single centimeter of fabric touched the earth. All assisted in thrusting the rod into the wet and foaming earth, and in the haze of the rain, all six men lifted it tall. Unfolding and waving rapidly with rippled curls in the brutal wind, red and white struck their eyes magnificently through the rabid storm.

Medical Officer Bauer then raised his remaining arm in salute. All others joined and they called praise to the Great Leader, voices piercing the storm, louder than a clap of thunder.


	17. Chapter 17

XVII.

Hours later, the soldier sat feasting in the shelter of a large cottage, rain still noisily pelting the shingled roof. A fire blazed between them, and they devoured an array of strange foods, presuming if the villagers could eat them, so could they. Private Fischer had found the stockpile. In another building the floor and walls were decorated with an astounding variety of ripe fruits, fluffy breads and colorful vegetables. These were sweeter than anything they had ever tasted. The men jovially performed cooking experiments, composing stews and salads, all of which were astounding. Laughter and songs rang about them, and the Commander felt he might even be happy. There was no need to think of the future at this moment. He at quietly as conversation rose up.

“How could they have gotten here before us?” Private Muller asked.

“There’s no way of knowing,” Medical Officer Bauer asserted, “Unless we can find a journal one of them may have kept.”

“I can’t figure out why they looked so strange.” Private Roth added.

“Perhaps their appearance was the result of prolonged exposure to this environment and its food.” Suggested the medical Officer.

“Then again,” From Intelligence Officer Mayer, “We have no idea how long they’ve been here. These could have been descendents, several generations departed from the original settlers.”

“That may be something we should have known.” Interjected the medical officer as Intelligence Officer Mayer quickly returned to his meal.

“Regardless,” began Private Muller again, “This is the most wonderful place I have ever seen. The Great Leader will be overjoyed when we bring news back to him.”

Medical Officer Bauer turned towards the Commander who continued silently eating, “This is true. Commander? What are the plans for the return journey?”

The Commander put another piece of food in his mouth and chewed. After a few seconds, he turned to Private Fischer beside him, “Are the blue ones not delectable?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Commander.” Medical Officer Bauer repeated, “Perhaps you had not heard me. What of the return journey?”

The Commander stopped chewing, “That will come soon enough. First we must take care of the villagers.”

Private Richter protested, “Why? We are not grave diggers!”

“Do you want the first reports the Leader has from his settlers to be that the place is littered in rotting corpses with carrion eaters swarming the skies?”

No one had a response for this, though Medical Officer Bauer’s eyes were slit like needles.

“We will bury the bodies tomorrow. Then we will consider the journey home.”

The Commander lay down in one of the cottages near the one where they had feasted. Each of the soldiers had found a cottage to claim as their own. Upon entering, he attempted to sleep in the largest bed, but the down was too soft, blankets too warm and it swept out from him in every direction like a sea. He felt as if he were drowning. What was seemingly a child’s bed stood not far away. These people were so tall, this youth’s bed was more than large enough for him. The feeling of sleeping here was ridiculous, as if he were a child again. He imagined himself as a young boy, his parents asleep in the other bed not far away, not knowing he was dreaming of far off lands that he had found in his books.

These thoughts drifted and were replaced by concerns that he still was not being careful enough on this journey. His neglect had led half their number to their deaths, yet this wonderous village caught him off guard. Now all of the men were separated from each other in a land that had become no less deadly upon finding this place. And still he could not bring himself to gather his men from their cottages and make them sleep together on the hard wood in the feasting hall. Nevertheless, he appreciated the distance from Medical Officer Bauer. Had the journey not been so desperate, this loyal and brave man may be long dead by his hand. At this point, he wondered if he would even be able take these measures again. No. He was finished. No matter the stakes, or the cost, he would never kill another of his soldiers again. The Great Leader spoke of sacrifice for the good of the whole, but each individual was a man placing their faith in him to bring them home, and though he would never be able to save them all, he could not fail them so completely as to sacrifice them by his own hand.

He was becoming weak. Or was he not already weak? Had he not made every wrong choice upon entering the tunnel and just barely managed to fix his mistakes since? If he had made nothing but wrong choices, was he fit for command? As he lay there, in his child’s bed, an urge overwhelmed him to do right by the soldiers that remained. There was only one way to accomplish this. He had to bring them home. There must be a pass over the mountains, a way around them, perhaps. Whatever the means, they would find it. No matter his reservations, they were of the Great Leader’s army, anything could be accomplished by their hands. Once the bodies of these villagers were buried, they would gather their supplies and set off.

His mind wandered. He did think this village a very fine place. Perhaps, if the Great Leader permitted, he could be one of the first settlers here. He could live in a place as beautiful as this. Strip himself of his uniform and his position. And one day he might call this place home.

A mighty crash carried on the wind. And another. It may have been thunder, but for the screams. Rising quickly from the bed, the Commander charged into the rain. Nothing could be seen in the raging storm. His boots bubbled centimeters into the mud. A crack of lightning revealed across the village a cottage with the roof sunken, the porthole shattered, and a soldier stumbling out of the wreckage. More magnificent clamours broke through the wind. Behind the Commander, his own cottage fell in on itself. Another crack of thunder emblazoned the image of six men, wandering lazily about a graveyard of battered and broken homes.

“To the feasting hall!” The Commander bellowed over the din, “Regroup at the feasting hall!”

In a moment they were all inside. Heavy rain and spray and waves of water poured through the broken roof on to where they had lit a fire not long before. The entire building was in shambles, as if a cyclone had driven through it, shattering dishware, tearing fixtures from the walls. In the gripping dark, clustered in the corners of a decadent shelter, with a curtain of rain between them and the world, the party shivered in waiting for the coming dawn.


	18. Chapter 18

XVIII.

The Commander leapt in his restless sleep, startled by the shifting bodies at his feet. The men lay around him. The only other awake was Medical Officer Bauer, seated, staring at the sky through the hole in the roof. 

He stood and wandered toward the cottage door, “Time to bury your dead, Commander.” Then left.

The feasting hall roiled with cold vapors. A thick mist had crept in after the long night, blinding them as much as the storm. The remainder of the men rose shortly after, Private Fischer and Private Muller gathered shovels for the rest. Near the forest line, at the edge of the village, they began to dig a mass grave. This spot was chosen to hide the stink of what they had done, so the settlers would not have to think of the cost of their new home. The massive hole in the earth became deeper, their uniforms dirtier. Wet muddy walls of the pit collapsed in on themselves again and again, partially burying the diggers themselves.

Then it was time to haul the corpses. Muddied bloodied bodies, rent, torn and oozing, dripped down their backs as they carried them to the hole, slipping and splashing, some falling to pieces in their hands. Long into the process, Private Roth carried a particularly large body to the edge of the grave, and before he could cast it in, the wall of the pit collapsed, casting him in with the dead. He rolled, splattering himself brown and red, landing in the heap of flesh, his own burden cast on top of him.

Rolling the body off of him he stood and cried, “Ridiculous! This is absurdity!”

“We are almost finished.” Said the Commander, tossing a woman in as Private Roth climbed out, mist rolling over him.

“We should never have had to do this in the first place!” Private Roth battered off mud and red goop.

“You’re out of line, Private Roth.”

“This order is out of line! I am a soldier in the Great Leader’s army! Not a gravedigger!”

“The settlers-”

“Damn the settlers! They can haul corpses themselves! I’ve done my duty, I’ll do no more!”

The rest of the men had gathered round by this point, burdens disposed of. 

The Commander gripped Private Roth’s collar, “Your duty is as I say it is! You are not here only to march and kill! You are here to obey the Great Leader’s wishes and serve his best interests! And it is I who was put in a position to determine what those interests are! You will complete the task I have ordered you to complete! Then, and only then will we return home!”

“Is that so?” A voice from behind him came.

He spun around, “Medical Officer Bauer!”

The medical officer looked around, arms spread through the cloud of mist, “I don’t know, Commander, this does not seem a worthy settlement to me. Perhaps we should rebuild the cottages before making our return. And the gardens were almost certainly destroyed in the storm. Certainly, we should replant them, and of course gather some livestock. But even then, all your men may not be dead yet so perhaps we should stay longer still.”

The Commander drew his pistol, aiming it between the man’s eyes, “Medical Officer Bauer, your insubordination has gone too far!”

The rush of blinding fog was the only voice stirring in the gloom. He could feel the party's eyes piercing him. His focus waned, his determination loose. The man on the other end of the barrel was blurred by mist and strayed further and further from imminent death. The pistol fell to his side. He looked around at the men who had become less his subordinates by the day.

A command was forced from his lips, “I said we would bury the dead, then journey home. This is what we will do. But first we will stop to eat. Private Fischer, Private Muller, go to the storeroom and grab food for a meal and as much as you can store in your packs.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Got it.”

The two soldiers faded into the mist. Four remained. Intelligence Officer Mayer stared with furrowed brow and pale complexion at the pit of corpses. Private Richter and Medical Officer Bauer held unblinking eyes on the Commander. The Commander sighed, gazing blindly in the direction of the cottage and the child’s bed where he had lain, wondering what would become of all of them; what had become of him.

Hurried steps pounded out of the fog, “Gone! It’s all gone!” Private Muller came running into view, Private Fischer close behind.

As the Commander drew lazily from his blurred mind, Medical Officer Bauer addressed them, “What happened, Private Muller?”

“The food! It’s inedible! Rotten!”

“Impossible!” Private Richter cried.

Private Muller pulled a large purple fruit from his pack, the same as one they had eaten the night before, now perforated, sunken, gone pale, festering black and white with mold.

Intelligence Officer Mayer spoke, devoid of emotion, “I can hardly believe it.”

Medical Officer Bauer protested, “How can this be! They were ripe yesterday!”

Private Muller hurled the rotting fruit to the ground, “Without food! Again!”

Medical Officer Bauer turned to the Commander, “Well! Your incompetence has brought us this far! What do you say now!”

Private Fischer walked up beside the Commander, who turned to his accuser, “I did not cause this.”

“You may as well have! We wandered into unknown territory! With no information and a useless intelligence expert!” Intelligence Officer Mayer lowered his head, “We were met with overwhelming odds at every turn and you demanded we press forward while good men died in your wake!”

“I followed my orders! Just as you should yours!”

“You care for your orders as much as I! You know we could have returned long ago! We would have been honored as heroes without finding this damned village! Yet you still refuse to admit what you have known all along!”

The Commander heaved a ragged breath. His chest burned. He said nothing.

“There is no going home.” Medical Officer spoke solemnly.

“What!” Private Richter shouted.

“No! I don’t understand!” Private Muller begged.

“I’m so confused.” Intelligence Officer Mayer said, weeping into his hands.

Private Fischer turne wide eyed toward the Commander, who after a moment returned an apologetic look.

“You lied to us!” Medical Officer Bauer accused, “You led us on this entire time!”

“What… what happened!” Private Muller pleaded.

“The tunnel…” The Commander struggled, “The moment we left it… it vanished. Without a trace.”

“Emma!”

“Oh God!” Private Richter forced fingers through his hair.

“But that will not stop us!” The Commander offered, “There is another way out of this land! There has to be! We will find a pass over the mountains! Or perhaps go around them entirely!”

“That is your solution!” Medical Officer Bauer spat, “To extend our journey by weeks! A death sentence! We would be lucky to make it back to the tunnel itself!”

“We will prevail!” The Commander forced, “We will succeed at any cost! We are of the Great Leader’s army and we can overcome any challenge! We will return home! Together! Because we are brothers!”

“You don’t even believe that, Commander.” The medical officer shook his head, “We are a broken band of wandering souls. You, the most faithless of all of us. Your hollow speeches echo in the ears of the soldiers you left dead in your wake. I have no intention of joining them.”

As the Commander struggled to find words he realized lines had been drawn. His jaw quivered as he saw Private Fischer to his right and Intelligence Officer Mayer to his left. Across a no man’s land of merely a few meters, three men faced them.

He turned to Private Fischer, who reservedly nodded, “Yes, sir.”

He turned to Intelligence Officer Mayer, almost puzzled as to why he stood beside him. Intelligence Officer Mayer grinned, “We’ve all made our fair share of mistakes, Commander. But I know where my loyalties lie.”

Facing him, Medical Officer Bauer stood tall, “You betrayed your men, Commander. This treason will not stand.”

Private Richter stood to his left, gritting teeth, “You’ll suffer for your lies.”

Private Muller stood to his right, tears bleeding down his face, “My Emma will not be a widow to an empty grave.”

The Commander shook, despair piercing his heart. He closed his eyes and wondered where a leader’s control lie. Why it would go. If it had ever been. Then the six men let out a furious cry to the indifferent air, and charged.


	19. Chapter 19

XIX.

The Commander was struck so fiercely with the unyielding anger of his aggressor, they were thrown backward into the pit. The two men rolled down the muddied banks to land on a bloodied sea of corpses. The Commander struggled to gain leverage as he found Medical Officer Bauer straddling him, pelting ferocious blows at his eyes with the lone fist. A loose strike landed on his cheek and the world slowed to show Private Muller and Private Fischer tumbling after them into the pit. The medical officer’s next blow slipped. The Commander took grip of his hair, meeting the clenched jaw with his fist, spattering blood down onto his face. He heaved the dazed man off of him. 

To one side, he saw Private Fischer to his waist in bodies, pounding chaotic, uncontrolled blows into a wailing Private Muller, who breathed the squealing yips of a desperate dying man. To the other, he found Private Richter at the edge of the pit, twitching as he used both hands to hold Intelligence Officer Mayer’s seizing head face down in the mud. An arm wrapped around the Commander’s neck, taking him off balance. Hands struggled for purchase behind him, but the medical officer’s grip tore at his focus. As he choked, he fingers gripped cloth. Lurching forward he threw Medical Officer Bauer over him to splash in a heap of rippling flesh. The Command drove his boot repeatedly into the supine figure, watching it meld and form to the mass below it.

Turning up in remembrance, he vaulted towards the edge of the pit. He rose toward Intelligence Officer Mayer, face down, spread eagle on the earth, dirty bubbles foaming from his half sunken head, draining filthy water over the edge of the pit. He rose toward Private Richters boot meeting his skull. The Commander flew backward onto dripping red cloth. Private Richter leapt in on top of him, grabbing his collar with one hand, battering his head into the heap of decay with the other. He was losing himself, drifting off after every blow. A brief glimmer of the sun caught his eye through the mist. Then a shadow. Private Richter was launched back, flailing deeper into the pile with Private Richter clenched tightly to him.

The Commander struggled to his hands and knees. Grunts, shuffling and the wet slapping of fists rose from somewhere in the crevases of the heap. Another boot flew from the hazy cloud about him, striking his chest, throwing him sideways. He lay with his arm outstretched toward the blurred glimmers breaking through the blood over his eyes. The boot struck him again, causing him to lurch hard enough to flick some of the blood from his vision. The red tinted figure of Medical Officer Bauer stood over him, throwing his leg back for another blow. As it came forward the Commander braced. Stinging pain seared through his body around the impact, but his arms were now firmly gripped around the leg. He rolled forward, thrusting his shoulder into his attacker’s knee, forcing him to fall backward. The Commander grasped and pulled at the other’s uniform, dragging himself, limb by limb, to the man’s head. The temptation to pass out, the need to vomit threatened to overwhelm him as he knelt over Medical Officer Bauer, slapping his hand away until his own could be wound tightly around his neck. The Commander twisted and squeezed and pushed, forcing air from the throat, causing them to sink into the corpses. Medical Officer Bauer thrust his body and reached with his hand to free himself, but the Commander’s knees would not give in, and his own arms prevented the lone hand from finding purchase. He pushed harder, squeezed his fingers white. Medical Officer Bauer’s head, held back, the weight of his superior upon it, began to submerse in a bloody pool of mangled flesh. The sludgy liquid rose up about his eyes. The Commander gritted his teeth. His nose sank below, leaving behind only a scatter of bubbles. The Commander’s nose twitched. His mouth drifted from view, open in a noiseless scream. The Commander’s fingers cramped, his elbows locked as the body he knelt over kicked in scatter twitches. Medical Officer Bauer had long since joined the corpses in the pit as the Commander’s grip held firm. He was puzzled suddenly by the phantom pain of his hands, missing from his wrists which were dipping into the blood pool.

The Commander gasped and leapt backward, his lurching hands flecking more blood onto his face. Breaths came in painting waves, chest heaving. He looked up at the sun, rising above the mist. It warmed him. Feet quivered, but managed to help him rise. Squelching footsteps came from behind him. He turned to find Private Fischer limping out of the heap toward him.

When Private Fischer reached him, he asked, “Private Richter?”

Private Fischer glanced back, then nodded, “Yes, sir.”

Private Fischer then looked down at the Commander’s hands. The Commander held them up, coated slick and dripping with blood. Letting them fall to his sides, he strode toward the edge of the pit. The earth had dried by the sun outside the hole. Standing straight, the Commander could see much of the village, patches of green grass scattered about, and the many limbs of the great tree, rising out of the roiling mists. Wandering strides brought him through the desolate town to the foot of the great tree. His wandering gaze found its boughs beautiful, then strayed to find the landscape rolling out before them. The forest, the mountains and the sky ripping with shades of green and blue and hints of yellow.

The Commander choked. Eyelids quivered and filled with water, but he could not close them for the view. He fell, again supporting himself on hands and knees, watching drops of water and blood splash in soil between massive trunks and flow together. Soft whimpers and short cries escaped past coughs of protest. He sat on his knees, staring at a wall of unmarred bark, and grabbed the pistol at his side. The barrel was cold against his chin. He closed his eyes.

A steadying hand touched his shoulder. He leapt to the side, sitting with his hands stretched out, pleaded. Private Fischer stood before him, arm reaching. The last soldier sat on the ground with him, patiently waiting. The Commander leapt into his arms and they released their anger, pain and exhaustion together there, beneath the great tree. The colors of the flag, billowing in the sun atop the elder’s staff a few meters from them began to wobble. The staff gave a last rebellious shudder, then fell, leaving the colors tainted with mud and filth upon the earth.

The Commander realized his selfishness. He was ready to abandon this poor lad to brave this land alone. No leader, no orders. The Commander’s duty was to this remaining soldier. To put his needs before himself. The Commander stood, aiming the gun at Private Fischer’s forehead. Private Fischer knelt on the soil, head raised, eyes staring directly into those of the Commander. Eyes wrent with fear and sadness, yet devoid of hesitation. The Commander’s hand shook. He had failed time and time again to release his men for the greater good. If he had the strength to do so with Medical Officer Bauer, they may be a party of five, on their way home. He had to do his duty to this brave, loyal man.

A dead leaf drifted into his vision, resting on his hand holding the quivering pistol. He looked up and found the great tree’s leaves were rimmed with browning decay. Confusion struck him again, the gun fell from his fingers, and he laughed roarous absurdity at the sky.

Stepping forward, he lay a hand on Private Fischer’s cheek, then looked up at the landscape rolling clear before his eyes, “Now that I think of it, I don’t believe I deserve death. This harsh land, that punishes at every turn, this is what I deserve.” He turned back down to Private Fischer, “Live or die, we will brave this hell together, and fight back against it with everything we have. Without leaders. Without orders. We will make a new life for ourselves here, and perhaps it will be brighter than the ones we left behind. But if we die, we will face that death with what little honor and dignity we have left, as free men. What do you say to that, Matthew Fischer?”

“Yes, sir.”

The Commander now clasped both hands around the young man’s face, “No. I have no rank anymore. And neither do you. So tell me, what do you think of that idea?”

Fischer held his gaze, almost uncomprehendingly. Then he stood slowly, laying his hand on the Commander’s shoulder.

He spoke, “I like it, Moses Keller.”


	20. Chapter 20

> SHEEP’S CLOTHING
> 
> XX.
> 
> The beasts prowled at the edge of the wood, towering antlers aiming back toward their tails, forked tongues wagging. Keller caught their eyes as he tossed the last bit of dirt onto a heap that covered the rotting pit. He and Fischer stood back, staring at the heap, puzzled.
> 
> “What should we say, Mr. Keller?”
> 
> “Please, Matthew, call me Moses. But I’m not sure. The soldiers buried here would wish for a funeral like those prescribed to the Great Leader’s men at arms who died in battle. Yet I am no longer suited or willing to enact such customs. The men, women, and children below them are of a custom we do not know and cannot guess at. No raised flags, nor religious symbols can mark this spot that would suitably honor two cultures so obviously different. At the same time, leaving the grave unmarked would do a disservice to all who died here.”
> 
> Fischer stood for a moment, then hurried away toward the great tree. Keller watched him scurry off, tempted to follow, but turned back to the heap. Not a minute later Fischer returned, carrying the walking staff of the elder. He strode onto the heap and thrust the staff into the loose soil.
> 
> As he returned to his former superior’s side, Keller smiled, “You are a wise man, Matthew. The staff will remain there to commemorate the lives that were taken, and symbolize the end of the journey of those who took them.”
> 
> “Mr. Keller… is it right that they should all be buried in one place?”
> 
> Keller paused for several seconds, “Good or ill, they were all men, who all will eventually return to the earth. As I see it, burying the murdered with their murders speaks to their equality. An important message since those who were murdered died in the name of supremacy. Then again, should we not have taken the time to bury them all in separate graves? Should we have buried those soldiers at all? Or strung them up from the cottages as a message decrying the life they lived by? And if so, what right do we have to life? In short, I do not know.”
> 
> “The matter seems clouded.”
> 
> “Not least of all because we, and specifically I, am the greatest offender in this matter. And yet we live, while they lie buried. So for good or ill, it is our choice to decide how best to honor them.”
> 
> “How does one ever repent for such crimes?”
> 
> “I fear we cannot. I will struggle the rest of my life to amend for what I have done. In the end, I imagine I will not have made up for more than a sliver of it, but it is the most I can do, and the least I can do.”
> 
> “I’m not sure I understand Mr. Keller.”
> 
> Keller sighed, “I can only hope that I do. I can only hope that this path I’ve chosen is now the right one.”
> 
> The beasts slowly drifted into the darkness of the forest, wide, horned tails twitching back and forth.


	21. Chapter 21

XXI.

The brightness of the days ahead spurned on their work. They had cleared the debris from most of the cottages with relative ease, the timber being shockingly light. Desecrated gardens were cleared of weeds and the ground before the great tree of bullet casings. The two men were fed sparingly of small fruits budding daily from the plants left living in the gardens. Refusing to question this fortune, they simply took what was given. Grass sprouted quickly from the once muddy dirt, leaving the glade looking much the same as when they had first entered. The browning leaves that marred the beauty of the great tree had vanished, leaving only full, bright leaves that flowed gracefully in soft winds. But the beasts still prowled the edges of the wood. 

In the evenings, they spoke or sat quietly around a fire in the feasting hall, at night, they slept in one cottage together, under the twinkling sky shining through the gaping roof. Beards grew full on their faces, they had long since stripped themselves of the rags that remained of their uniforms and donned the tunics and slacks of the villagers that hung massive upon them. Neither resembled the same man that had strode into the village days ago and even less so through the tunnel a week prior.

One day, as Keller tended to the gardens around the feasting hall, he caught movement from the corner of his eye. Objects shifted in the darkness of the forest on the opposite end of the village. He took slow steps to the side of the great tree, ready for what may come. Ready in a way he had never been, as his firearm lay in a trunk within the cottage where they slept. Glancing back, he found Fischer wander from his cleaning in the feasting hall to see what he was looking at, then to watch himself.

Then, out of the trees strode a line of tall beasts, feathered, though wingless, emblazoned with all the colors of autumn. They moved on four legs, paws in the fore, talons in the hind. Large, ovular eyes gleamed green with gold slits. Four horns encircled their heads, two wrapping behind their skulls, two curving across the jaw of their snouts. A two meter long tail curved up, far above their trotting feet. 

Keller’s mind buzzed, his legs grew weak as he realized then these strange animals carried riders. The figures atop the horses were tall, light haired, dark skinned, decorated in gilded tunics of flowing gold, crimson and green. They appeared almost identical to the men and women buried behind him. He noticed a difference in their childlike faces that were no longer so gentle, and in the weapons strapped to them. Bows with full quivers, daggers and swords that stretched, curving to their boots.

Keller’s breath quickened, his heart ached. He could not look back at Fischer. He merely closed his eyes, and moved forward past the great tree. A dozen meters from the approaching armed riders, he dropped to his knees, and hung his head, waiting for darkness. The riders split down the middle and strode around the kneeling figure. From his peripherals, trotting hooves and talons passed him by, as if he were part of the landscape. One of the animals then stopped before him. He peaked up to see its enormous paws before him, hiding deadly claws within its toes. Boots landed noiselessly on the earth beside the animal. The figure, hidden by his tilted brow stepped before him and crouched.

Keller looked up to find a woman, looming over him, beautiful and massive green eyes boring into him, “Who are you?” French flowed smoothly from her tongue.

“I…” Keller struggled to choose the words more than to speak the language, “I am Moses Keller of… a country far away.”

“Moses.” Her glowing eyes narrowed, “A good name. What happened here Moses?”

His head sunk to his chest, “The villagers… they were killed.”

“By whom?”

“Invaders.”

“From where?”

He hesitated, then pointed far off in the direction of the mountains.

“As we feared. It was the Myrk who did this, then?”

“I do not know what the Myrk are.”

“Warlords. Foul murders spawned from the depths of the earth who care nothing for things which live above, be they plant, beast or alfar.”

Keller did not find this description too ill suited for the villagers’ killers. Perhaps these people had known of their presence and this was the name bestowed upon him. This reasoning held his tongue, though he knew it was flawed.

“Why are you here, man?” She spoke the word as if it were his title.

“I found this place. I buried the dead. Then I had nowhere left to go.”

After a moment of silence he turned up to find her observing the village with contemplative vision, “Well, you and your friend there must not pose a threat. Otherwise this village would not be so healthy after the slaughter of its people.” She stood and took a step to depart.

“Wait!” Keller held out a hand.

She held for him.

“May I ask who you are?”

She stood proud, towering far above his bent knees, “I am Aevery, firstborn of the house of Aelfric, and Commandant of the First Patrol in the Kingdom of Caer Nouveau.”

“Commandant? You are a commander?”

“Indeed.”

“I held that title as well, a very short time ago. I hope you serve your men better than I was able.”

Without acknowledging him she took to her saddless mount. Before departing from him, she said, “We are not men. We are ljosalfar. It would be respectful if you did not mistake our race again.”

“My apologies.” But she had already rode off to join her troops.


	22. Chapter 22

XXII.

“Get off me, filthy savages!” Fischer’s voice called from behind him.

Keller stood and ran toward the cottages, “Hey!” He cried as he watched through a wall of troops Fischer being prodded and searched with unsheathed swords. Still ten meters away from the porthole where Fischer stood, Keller was brought to a halt by a lined of drawn bows, “Matthew! Stand down!”

“Aethlwulf!” Aevery ordered from somewhere beyond the wall of troops, “Release the poor man!”

“Ael,” A deep, gruff voice responded, “We do not yet know these strangers part in all this. They could be the murderers themselves! Or at the very least thieves and squatters.”

“They are certainly squatters, but I shall not punish them for having no place of their own to lie their heads. As for their part in the deaths of the villagers, look around you, the village is teeming with life. It would not yield itself to them if they were so foul.”

“We should not trust them.” Regardless of this protest, the blades surrounding Fischer lowered out of view.

“Trust them or no, they will have more knowledge of the villages’ demise than we. They must be brought to Caer Nouveau.”

“Yes, ael.” 

The bows aimed at Keller slackened and the troops broke their lines to inspect the village. He was startled by how a band that seemed so massive and impenetrable a moment ago now appeared not but a thin cloud of wandering souls. Beside Fischer was a startlingly tall figure, standing even above the height of his peers, one white eye framed by a scar of course flesh from some fire long ago. The figure watched Aevery as she dismounted and approached Keller. This was Aethlwulf.

Aevery stared directly into Keller’s eyes as she called to her men, “We rest her for the night, then return to Caer Nouveau at dawn!” Then quietly, she sent a quiver through Keller, “I implore you, please do not leave this place without me and my patrol.”

The request was genuine, but he feared the result of disobedience. Aevery strode back to Aethlwulf and they began walking the perimeter of the village in soft discussion. Keller approached Fischer, who with him sunk into the shelter of the feasting hall.

“Are you all right, Matthew?”

“I am, Mr. Keller.” Fischer’s gaze was distraught, “Are you? I saw you… fall.”

“I am fine.” Keller stared through the porthole at the trees and the patrolling troops. Fischer was still gazing silently at him, “Matthew, you wish to say something?”

“I do, Mr. Keller.”

“Please, call me Moses, and speak up, speak up.”

“I was just… curious. What is our plan?”

Keller’s eyes fixed on the great tree, his words drifted from him without thought, “It seems they wish to escort us to this Caer Nouveau.”

“Pardon me, but… should we not run?”

“That would be ill advised. We do not know the skill level of these warriors.”

“Well, they cannot possibly be better fighters than us. And we have our firearms in the chest in our cottage.”

“The patrol walked directly into the village from the forest. They not only knew it was here… they knew what had happened.” Keller squinted, “Their commander’s ignorance to the role we played is a second chance. If we squander it, we may have a unified country against us. Our best move, may be do as they say.”

“What if, excuse me… what if once we reach Caer Nouveau, they mean to execute us?”

Keller’s vision drifted out of focus, the great tree being lost in a flurry of colors, “It is a chance I am willing to take. Anyway, I’m not sure I deserve better.”

Fischer seemed distant in the waxing silence, then, “Pardon me, but there was something you had said about… fighting with everything we have?”

He turned and smiled at Fischer, “Yes, Matthew, though I feel I have not much left.”

He wandered out of the cottage toward the great tree. Fischer’s footsteps sounded behind him. As he looked up at its gently shifting branches, his mind shifted in uncontrolled waves. He could not bring himself to make a decision, or commit to a defined path. He reached out for the determination, but it was too far from him.

“Ho there!” Sounded from off beside them.

Keller turned. Aevery and Aethlwulf stood beside the grassy mound that held a staff at its peak. Keller drifted toward them.

“Is this where they are buried?” Aevery asked.

“Yes. It was the best the two of us could manage.”

Aethlwulf grimaced, “In a mass grave! Blasphemy!”

“Their murderers dug the pit and threw them in. We did not think it right to move their bodies again so we filled it in.” The half truth swam easily from Keller’s lips.

“And the staff?” Aevery pointed to the rod marking the mound.

“I do not know your customs. It seemed the most suitable way to commemorate their deaths.”

“It is a thing of power.” Aevery kept her eyes upon the staff, “It should never have been used to mark the graves of the dead, but since that is where it has lain, I think it would be less right to move it.”

“I am sorry.” Keller nearly choked, but held his composure.

Aethlwulf bared his teeth, “Your apologies count for nothing, man!”

“Be still, Aelf” Aevery ordered, then turned to Keller and Fischer, “The day grows old. You should get your rest. Two days ride is ahead of us. I hope you do not mind if I station guards outside the cottage where you sleep.”

“Not at all, Aevery.” Keller assured.

Aethlwulf did not viel his loathing, “She is ‘ael’ to you!”

“Please, Aethlwulf, he has already stated he does not know our customs.”

Keller lowered his head, “My apologies… ael.”

“Think nothing of it,” Aevery waved away the apology, “Though, Moses-”

Fischer interrupted, “Mr. Keller.”

Aethlwulf nearly lunged at the man. 

Aevery held out her hand between them, “Enough of this! I will not have us be each other’s enemies! Mr. Keller, I would have you walk with me.”

“Certainly, ael.”

Keller and Aevery strode together along the line of trees. The troops had returned to their mounts among the gardens of the village and they were isolated on the edge of the wood. Neither spoke. Aevery drew her piercing eyes at him. He could feel her studying his soul. He turned to look out at the forest, watching her from his peripheral vision. The trees became distracting. They were not as he remembered them, bright and welcoming, all signs of the void darkness gone.

“The beasts no longer prowl.” He looked fully at her.

“Pardon?” She asked as if this were another interrogation.

“Since we have been here, fierce beasts have wandered the edges of the forest, staring at us as if we were their next meal. I have not seen them since you arrived.”

“You likely will not see them while we remain.”

“Strength in numbers, I suppose.”

“Far simpler than that,” She smiled, “You truly are from a distant land. You will come to find the lands of this world serve us in many ways.”

“The ljosalfar have found a way to control this relentless hell?” Keller fixed his eyes on her, riddled with curiosity.

“No one can control nature. We serve it. In turn, it serves us.”

“I do not understand.”

“It is only a matter of perspective. One men, unfortunately, have particular trouble grasping.”

“Of course, I hadn’t even thought to ask, you have seen men like us? They exist here?”

“Not like you, no. But men, all the same. And we have not seen them in centuries. Though, this may be for the better.”

Keller could not make sense of this. He remained silent.

“How did you come to our kingdom?” Aevery questioned.

Keller measured the best course of action. In this instance, he felt honesty was harmless, “Through a pass in the mountains far in the distance. Beyond even those on the horizon.”

Aevery’s eyes narrowed again, “I know of no pass through those peaks.”

“Well… none exists anymore…” He dreaded the irony that she distrusted him on this matter.

“Explain.”

“Unfortunately, I cannot. We exited through the mountain pass, then there was no pass. If we could return, we would have.”

Aevery stopped walking and faced him, “It seems we have confused each other with our answers. Perhaps at another time we can reach some understanding. Please, get some rest.”

Keller nodded, “Of course, ael.”

He strolled lazily across the village toward the cottage where he slept. His knees felt weak and his back twitched from the eyes that he knew were burrowing into his turned back. Upon entering the cottage, he found Fischer lying awake in his bed, staring at the open sky. Keller found nothing to say. He lay down in the adjacent bed, searching for the point in the heavens that had so fixed Fischer’s interests, but knew he would not find the quiet man’s thoughts wandering up there.


	23. Chapter 23

XXIII.

Keller and Fischer stood dressed at dawn, standing before the locked trunk at the end of Keller’s bed. Keller fondled the key in his pocket and glanced over at his eager companion. Fingers dropped the key into the depths of his slacks. He walked out of the cottage past the ljosalfar that stood at the porthole, watching the sun blaze light through the troops who uniformly took to their mounts.

Aevery rode her strange animal, feathers blinding in the sun that mirrored all its colors, before Keller and held out her hand. He took it and rose behind her, onto the soft, downy back. Aethlwulf was directly behind them, watching the interaction with furrowed brow. As Aevery began to ride off, Aethlwulf came forward and stared down expectantly at Fischer without offering assistance.

“Do not try anything, man.”

Fischer rose onto the back his mount with confidence and sat quietly. The troops rounded and made for the treeline opposite the cottages, Aevery in the lead. As the shifting branches loomed closer, as the canopy reached out to tower above them, Keller breathed deeply, preparing himself once again for the merciless darkness of the wood.

The line of trees passed behind them and his vision was assailed with a tumbling landscape of lush grasses that here and there yielded to trickling streams and gracefully sloping trunks rising above them to a luscious waves of leaves perforated by the golden rays of the dawn drifting down to begin again at the forest floor. His lips quivered at the sight. For the first hour of their journey he could find nothing to say.

Finally, Keller spoke, “This must be a different part of the forest.”

Aevery scanned the forest, “Excuse me?”

“This must be a different part of the forest than we travelled through. It is so… beautiful.”

“All of the Wandering Forest looks this way. From Caer Nouveau to the mountains, to far beyond the village.”

Keller could not make sense of this. He sat quietly for a moment, “So you and your people call yourselves ljosalfar?”

Aevery did not fully look behind to him, though he could see she was smiling, “Indeed we do.”

“What are your races origins? What is your claim to this land?”

“We hold no claim to this land, though we settled here hundreds of years ago. As for our origins, we were born from a pairing of a race of higher beings and a race of…” She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, then looked forward, “lower ones. There are many different races of alfar, depending on how many generations of the two beings bred together, but only the ljos live in the kingdom of Caer Nouveau.”

“And what are these other races?”

A loud crunch of bone rang from being them. The entire troop halted their mounts. Keller and Aevery turned behind them to see one of the riders fall to the ground, his face a swath of blood.

Keller held tightly to the feathered animal as Aevery spun it quickly around, “Myrk! Draw arms!”

As the ljosalfar drew bows with inhuman speed a wave of small projectiles careened toward them from within the forest. The flying things shattered bark from trees, tore wisps of leaves raining down upon them, and bore into the limbs of riders and their mounts. When one shattered through Keller’s shoulder, he realized they were rocks, carved to have rugged spikes across their surface. He fell from Aevery’s mount. Upon striking the ground, the assailants drove into view.

The first thing he saw were the insects, deep maroon with hints of black, their long segmented bodies rippling across the landscape, horned across their entire bodies, three pairs of glossy wings resting upon one of a dozen thoraxes. Hundreds of pointed limbs drove madly at their sides, permeating the entire forest with an endless ticking. Ticking, all around him. Atop them were riders, four per beast. Stocky figures armored from their spiked heads to their massive feet in plate as dark as a starless night. These figures wielded slings carrying the pointed projectiles, rugged edged spears and axes, some double bladed, some single, but all as wide as the trunks of trees.

The attackers wove all around the troops of the ljos, creating a sea of bodies. Some used their short mounts to drive under the feathered mounts, cutting open their bellies from below. Some wound up trees, many legs thudding on bark, to reign projectiles down on their victims. One insect ascended a tree and leapt half its form across the forest path to grip another, dividing Aevery’s troops in half while its riders spit rocks in every direction.

Aevery and her men were not defenseless. Arrows shot like bullets from bows, never missing the neck or eyes of their targets. Slim and towering swords severed heads with little effort. Their feathered mounts danced and lept over and around the insects and their riders, narrowly avoiding swinging axes and flying spears.

Keller suddenly realized he was huddled against a tree, his arms cradling his legs. This position repulsed him, but he could not force himself to move. His eyes found Fischer, leaping off of Aethlwulf’s mount and charging into the fray. Keller’s mouth swung wide, but no sound came from it.

Around his tree wound one of this insects, its body becoming longer and longer as it materialized into view. The plated rider at its head laughed as forewings buzzed furiously, raising him from the ground. Under the insects head a deadly maw came into view, fleshy, lined with a plethora of unorganized tiny teeth ushering toward a gaping abyss. Keller held out his hand in stark terror, eyes wide, his body held against the tree by some unknown force. The head lunged back, preparing to strike with its terrible jaws and its rider choked.

Blood sprayed from the armored figures throat, a red dyed spear following it. The bleeding haft of the spear rose from behind him with Fischer’s hands gripping it tightly. His teeth were clenched, his lips grinning. Fischer’s arms drove the spear down, further through the attackers neck into the horned head of the insect. Blood spattered Keller’s face as the spear exited through the toothy maw. Rider and mount fell before him, he gazed down the massive body of the insect, finding all of its riders dead, then turned to Fischer, who held out his hand. 

Keller grasped it and rose, “You fight as a great warrior.”

Fischer looked him directly in the eye, “With everything I have.”


	24. Chapter 24

XXIV.

The forest floor was hardly visible for the bodies. The assailants had vanished more quickly than they came, already out of sight when the insect fell dead by Fischer's hand before Keller. Like a magician's screen revealing what was once there to be gone.

Keller looked off toward Aevery, clearing the blood from her blade with the white sash around her waist. Aelfric stood before her. No words could be heard but calm tones drifted from her and angered ramblings were thrown back from him. After a moment he walked away and hollered to the soldiers to bury the dead.

Keller approached Aevery, “You sent them running, I see.”

Aevery looked off toward her troops, “The Myrk did not retreat. They accomplished what they intended and returned to their camps.”

Keller gazed aimlessly into the sunlit wood, pondering this.

Three days of peaceful travel passed since the retinue had been attacked. The hills and glades rolled past Keller's eyes, glossed with tears. He had run and played in worlds such as this one long ago. The memories were clearer than all the years that followed.

A black mass sifted through the trees beyond them, struggling to come into view behind a dense line of trunks. As the trees separated to reveal what was before them, the previously fading memories swarmed into Keller's mind. Scorched gardens, blackened piles of timber that were once homes, blood that had once pooled so thickly it dried as a brown stain upon the earth. No smoke rose from the remnants of the village and, aside from furrowing brows, no reaction was made by the squad. The destruction was not recent.

“What happened here?”

Aevery did not look around, “This is the closest the Myrk have ever come to Caer Nouveau. Many villages have fell to the same fate and this and yours. We do what we can to bury the bodies and send the dead to a proper rest, but many are never found.”

Keller closed his eyes to quell a sudden dizziness. The smell of Aevery's hair, like a cool morning breeze, calmed him, “They fight with a ferocity I have rarely seen. How long have you been at war?”

“We are not at war.”

Keller was overwhelmed by incredulity, “They kill your people!”

“Our king… my father, sees fit not to retaliate. He is very traditional. It is the old way.”

Keller sat in silence for several moments. The only words he could form on his tongue were, “Madness.”

Aevery’s mount and the entire retinue halted. She turned back to him, “You do not know my people. You do not know our traditions. Not all, not even I, may agree with the edicts of our king, but we will not judged by your violent ways.”

Keller was confused by his own hesitation, “My apologies, ael.”

She faced forward and the retinue moved on, “We are your wards. Do not make us your captors.”


	25. Chapter 25

XXV.

At first, Keller believed he was looking towards a steep hill. The tops of the trees hung immense over the landscape. Yet as these structures came closer, he found the land sloping downward. Through the trees leading into the small valley could be seen wooden structures hundreds of meters long, and some nearly as tall. Atop these grand longhouses grew the trees he had thought to be upon a hill.

Paws of the strange mounts thudded through the short grasses of the town, past grocers and woodworkers and blacksmiths. Young alfar played on the paths, running about the soldiers, laughing. Adult alfar stood at the market stalls, inspecting goods and speaking jovially with their owners. Further beyond these structures, alfar sat outside homes, conversing quietly or staring off with grim looks. 

This place was so familiar to Keller and yet so alien. The path they trod led directly to the largest structure. A veritable palace of horizontal wooden beams, decked lavishly with flowers and trees all about, stretching back to disappear into the forest. No door blocked entry. An enormous porthole, large enough to accommodate the homes of the village he had come from, invited all inside.

The retinue rode directly into the longhouse. They dismounted once within and the feathered animals departed to the either side of the entrance, as if awaiting their master’s return. More than a hundred meters down the longhouse stood a dais, upon which a small figure could barely be seen. Between Keller and the dais stood hundreds of alfar, presumably courtiers and servants. They shifted in and about one another much more gracefully than Keller would have expected, like a dance that had been well choreographed beforehand. Above him, the roots of the trees atop the longhouse swung down from the ceiling. They wrapped and twisted about each other to create chaotic yet beautiful patterns, forming a complex network of chandeliers that held flames gracefully at their tips.

“Mr. Keller.”

Keller looked away from the roots to find Aevery patiently smiling at him. The courtier’s dance parted as if planned as they moved toward the opposite end of the longhouse. As the dais grew closer, the small figure upon it became more defined and Keller found a robed old alfar seated there. No crown lay upon his head. No cepter in his hands. He sat on not a throne but a chair, softened by cushions of leaves. And he was smiling, warmly.

“Welcome!” He stood with open arms, “My daughter, friends, and guests as well.”

“Father.” Aevery took to the dais in three bounds and embraced the king. She then descended to stand next to her troops, awaiting something.

The king slowly sat, then looked toward Keller and Fischer, “For those of you who may not know, I am Aelfric. Speaker for the Ljosalfar in this country. I welcome you, Moses, and Matthew, to our home.”

Keller dropped to one knee and hung his head. Fischer did so a moment later.

“Now now! Rise! Rise! I need not be given such honor.”

Fischer immediately rose to his feet. Keller soon followed, “We are humbled by the hospitality of you and your people, my lord.”

Aelfric paused, his smile as genuine as ever, “You are more than welcome in our home. My daughter, you have something to report from your patrol?”

Aevery’s delivery was quite stern, “A village on the Western border was raised by Myrk, father. None survived. When we arrived, Mr. Keller and Mr. Fischer had repaired much of the village and buried the dead. They arrived after the attack and have no information. Also, on our way to report, we were attacked by a raiding party of Myrk. Chevan, Julian, Mathis and Elian lost their lives.

Aelfric bowed his head and nodded slowly, “Thank you for telling us. We all will morn the passing of so many. You may rest the night, then depart tomorrow morning to continue your patrol if you see fit to.”

Aevery glanced back at her troops, then took a step forward and lowered her voice, “Father, we must do something. We cannot simply wait for more alfar to be slaughtered!”

“We will honor their passing. That is all we can do.”

“Give me a small force, father. A hundred more men. We can scout and gather information and once we know where the Myrk’s forces are gather, we can end this!”

“By extermination, you mean?” Aelfric’s eyes were accusatory.

Aevery hung her head.

“What is one race for another? If the Myrk killed us all for their sake, would you call them just? No, Aevery. You go too far. Continue your patrols. Defend yourself, if necessary. Let what may come, come. It is our way.”

Aevery stood, head still hung, red shining through her bronzed skin, “Yes, father.”

“Thank you for your report. You may go,” the party turned to leave, “but, pardon me, Mr. Keller?” All paused and stared at the king, “If I may, I would speak with you.”

“Yes, my lord.” Fischer’s eyes stung the back of Keller’s head as he moved toward the dais.

The whole retinue watched as the king guided Keller through a curtain behind the dais and out of sight.


	26. Chapter 26

XXVI.

Aelfric lead Keller through a massive bedroom with hundreds of windows canopied by the trees above. Portholes on either side of this room gave way to a balcony that lay over the edge of an abyss. The longhouse, the trench before it, and the wood surrounding it foamed with so many trees that the sky and the earth could hardly be seen. Keller leaned over the edge of the railless balcony to gaze beneath him.

“This is why man must always build walls.” Aelfric was grinning at him.

“How do you mean?”

“Because you just can’t help yourselves but lean over the edge to see what lies beyond.”

Keller stared at Aelfric for a moment then turned to the trees to absorb his comment. He then remembered himself, “Yes, my lord.”

“Oh, stop with that nonsense.”

Keller was taken aback.

“I am not some power mad ruler, ready to smite you at the merest sign of disrespect.”

“I certainly did not mean to imply-”

“Calm yourself, Moses. You may call me Aelfric.”

Keller merely nodded.

“The ljosalfar call me king, but I am not a king as you know them.” Aelfric strode to the edge of the balcony, the toes of his silken shoes meeting the edge. He looked toward the treetops, “I am what you may call a steward. I have been designated to look after these alfar, as well as all other things within our sphere. I refuse to command. The only power I hold is that which others bestow upon me when they decide to follow my advice.”

“How does your nation function? With no leader to enforce the law?”

“All societies operate this way. No leader exists without the consent of their fellows. Your society simply sees more fit to grant its people the illusion that they have no choice.”

“How do you know of my people? How did you know Matthew’s and my name?”

“I know these things, as with all things, because they were told to me.” Aelfric grinned at Keller again.

“And what strange oracle grants you this knowledge?”

Aelfric laughed, “Oh, it is nothing so mystical as that, my friend. I simply know how to listen in ways man tends to find ridiculous.”

“I mean no disrespect, but you do speak in riddles.”

Aelfric lay a gentle hand on Keller’s shoulder. He barely felt the weight of it, “My apologies. I jest with you, Moses.” Aelfric looked toward the forest, “The trees.”

Keller turned, expecting to find alfar spies observing them from the branches. Only those branches, and the leaves that danced upon them, stared back.

“They, and their brethren, the grasses and earth and rain, listen more closely than man or alfar could know. And they have been here longer than all of us. And when you allow yourself to hear them, they hold no secrets.”

Keller’s eyes flitted back and forth. He did not know what he was hoping to find, “Why did you ask to speak with me?”

“Yes, of course. Thank you for your patience.” Keller turned to face Aelfric, but he stood, as a stone, baring himself to the wood, “I believe I understand your mission. I am more confident of my understanding now that I have seen it in your eyes.”

Keller took a step closer to him, almost pleading, “I have forsaken my mission.”

Aelfric glanced over at him, then turned back to the trees, “That is not the mission of which I speak. Regardless, you will go on your journey. I simply ask that you do so in a manner than does not jeopardize everything I hold dear.”

Keller’s eyes widened, “I don’t know what you mean…”

“You will walk your path and find whatever end you choose to. I am confident you can do this without causing harm to anyone. I am also confident you can do this while destroying the world as we know it. I ask,” Aelfric squared himself with Keller, “That you do not do so.”

“Speak plainly!” Keller could not slow his beating heart, “You accuse me of being a threat! You ask a great deal yet you still speak in riddles!”

“Our way is not yours!” Aelfric eyes clouded over, his hair suddenly wild, “We are not meant to war! To kill! To destroy! We walk a peaceful path! And while we may be tempted by violence, we stay our hand! But while man may be tempted by peace they wade in blood!” Aelfric wiped the tears from his face and turned away, “You can find your journey’s end without the alfar. But you cannot do so without pain. Do not let your pain become ours.”

Keller responded to the little sense he made of the king’s outburst, “I have no part to play in your conflict with the Myrk.”

Aelfric turned to him once again, shaking his head with a mournful grin, “You see you must define everything by violence. There is no conflict with the Myrk. They have chosen their way and we have chosen ours. That is all. Whatever may come.”

Despite the king’s earlier comments, Keller felt he should fear questioning this monarch. Yet, “They slaughter your people. Men, women, and children. They kidnap them for God knows what purpose. They attack and kill your soldiers for the sake of instilling fear. And you see this as having no conflict?”

“They are not my people, and they are not men, women, and children. They are alfar. And yes, all that you have said is true. The Myrk do these things because they feel they must. But the worst we can do is retaliate.”

“How can that possibly be true.” Keller’s demand made him recognize a confidence he had not felt in days.

“We have a choice, Moses. Live peaceably, come what may. Give love, joy, and understanding, even in the face of our own extinction. Then even while we may be gone, others will live to be what they will. Or battle and war and destroy at the cost of ourselves, the Myrk, the forest, and all else. Death lay upon all, we simply have the choice of whether or not to perpetuate it.”

“You would let all alfar die for the sake of the Myrk?”

“You do not listen. I am the steward of all within our sphere. The Ljos, the forest, and the Myrk. None have more value than the others.”

Keller struggled to speak for a long moment, “How can that be your way?”

Aelfric turned off once again toward the wood, “If I have truly understood what I have seen in your eyes, you have not much more confidence in your own.”


	27. Chapter 27

XXVII.

Keller barely noticed as dozens of meters of the longhouse passed him by. The mounts were gone from the entrance and Fischer stood just outside. He nearly lept toward Keller when he saw him coming. Keller exited through the porthole and looked about at the empty air.

“What happened, Mr. Keller?” Fischer overflowed with anticipation, “Aevery, Aethulwulf and the soldiers wait for us at their barracks.”

“We should leave.” Keller began walking, Fischer briskly followed.

“Can we do that?”

“They will not bar our way.”

Fischer kept his eyes on Keller as they briskly strode through the town. When Keller neglected to elaborate, “Where will we go?”

“I do not know but it will be away from here. We’ve stumbled onto another path in which we are not welcome.”

A voice called from far behind them, “Mr. Keller!”

Both men looked back to find Aevery hurrying after them. Keller halted in his tracks, Fischer stopping a moment after.

Aevery reached them and continued with a puzzled look, “Where do you go?”

“Away. I feel no need to disrupt the lives of the alfar any longer.”

Aevery seemed to struggle to find words, “May I speak with you briefly?”

Keller turned toward Fischer to find the young man’s unwavering gaze upon him. He turned back to Aevery, “You may. I will return in a moment, Matthew.”

Keller and Aevery strode away, leaving Fischer standing motionless as a sentry in the center of the path. Aevery led him to the edge of the town. They walked along the treeline, out of earshot of any alfar citizens.

“You cannot depart now.” This sounded more like a question than a demand.

“I must. It seems to be the best course of action for all of us.”

Aevery breathed heavily, “What did Father speak of to you?”

“The truth, in many ways. I have done what you asked and come with you here to give your report. I thank you for the escort, but I cannot stay.”

Aevery strode before him and halted in his path, “How did you make the village look the way it did when I arrived?”

Keller did not understand the question, “We… we rebuilt it.”

“That is not what I meant. After the slaughter of the entire village it was a peaceful place with its gardens and grasses full of life.”

“I do not understand this myself. There is a certain… wonder about this land. It seems to ebb and flow between order and chaos like the tide.”

“You must have done something, though! You must have!”

“I assure you ael, I did very little to make it a more beautiful place.”

“Impossible. Everything the Myrk touches turns to horror. It takes months to repair the damage done. Yet days after the destroyed that village you had returned it to purity.”

“I did nothing. The land repaired itself.”

“That cannot be the case.”

A small voice began crying in the distance. Keller and Aevery looked off into the trees to find a young alfar girl in tears, sitting before a doll. Keller approached the young girl and the doll. The doll was wooden, made from the soft roots of trees. The roots were folded at the top to form the head, a shimmering rock forming one eye, the other absent. The roots wove down in a thick twisting mass to form the body and departed from the bulk in four spots to make limbs. It wore a dress of leaves.

Keller kneeled down before the weeping alfar child, “Why are you crying, young one?”

The weeping child looked up at him, briefly startled, then returned to her sobs. Keller cocked his head at the doll and gently lifted it from the earth. The child quickly tore it from him and held it close.

“Is something wrong with her?” He referenced the toy. 

The child raised her tearstained face to him again, “Luna lost her eye and I can’t find it!”

Keller hummed a note of empathy, “Well surely your mommy can give her a new eye?”

The child shook her head, “It won’t be the same! It won’t be her eye!”

Keller looked around him, “Why don’t we search for her eye?”

“I looked everywhere!” The child devolved into uncontrollable sobs.

Keller lay a hand on her shoulder, “Listen, young one.” The child turned to him again, “We all will lose something on our way through life. I myself have lost many things.”

“You have?”

Keller peered about the woods with a squint, “Yes… We all will lose something, but this simply makes us stronger when we keep going despite what we lost. She,” Keller lay a hand on the doll, “Will find a way to live on, even without her eye. And I bet she’d find it easier if you helped her.” The child’s eyes were wide like the full moon, “Do you want to help her?”

“Yes! Yes! I will help her no matter what!” The child hugged the doll close, looked at Keller once more, then rushed back into the village.

Keller stood and turned to find Aevery staring at him with a look he found difficult to comprehend.

“Can you not stay with us?”

Keller sighed, “Your father was right. War is not my path. And whether you have your way, or your father has his, death and bloodshed is coming.”

“Do you think you can escape that bloodshed?” Keller stood silent, “The rage of the Myrk knows no bounds. Once they comsume the Ljosalfar, they will move on. There is nowhere in this world you can run from them.”

Keller considered this for a moment, “However your people respond to the Myrk attacks, your father is right. It is not my place to become involved. I have served as an invader and butcher for greater men before. I do not wish to do so again.”

Aevery looked back toward the village, then turned back to Keller with a look of regret, “In that case, the least I can do is escort you out of Caer Nouveau.”

“Thank you, ael.”

Aevery led him toward the city again, taking the same path along the very edge of the trees until they cut through the buildings toward the same spot on the road they had departed from. Matthew was nowhere to be seen.

Keller’s brow furrowed he began walking faster, looking around. When he saw no sign of Matthew he ran to the exact spot where his friend had stood, upon his very footprints as if that would assist him in finding the young man. He spun around, looking toward the trees and buildings, but there was no one. Not Matthew, nor any alfar in their shops or young alfar playing in the streets.

He turned to Aevery, “This is the spot where we left him.”

“It is indeed. Perhaps he wandered off. We will find him soon.” Her voice was concerned.

Keller cupped his hands to his lips, “MATTHEW!”

The cry echoed throughout the city and the wood beyond. Only the still breeze offered a response. Keller began breathing heavily. Aevery crouched next to him and felt about the path around his feet, “There are too many tracks here to determine which ones are his. Surprising, any man’s steps should be easily distinguishable from an alfar. Your kind are so reckless.” She smiled up at him.

He could offer nothing in response. His body was weak yet rooted in its position.

She stood and lay a hand on his shoulder, “I will fetch Caelean from the barracks. He is the best tracker in Caer Nouveau. Matthew cannot have gotten far.”

She rushed down the path into the city. Keller looked down at his feet. Suddenly, he could not control his urge to move, to run. Launching from the path, he dove between the buildings and trees around him, behind their walls, within their branches, under porches and within market stalls. No one, let alone Matthew, could be found.

After a few minutes, he hung his head and strode back toward the path. Upon reaching the nearest building, he stopped, resting his arm upon the wall. Weariness grew over him. He lay his back against the structure and sunk down. Sobbing and a flood of tears overcame him. He sat, mind devoid, hiding from the world in his hands. Tears flowed from between his fingers as he convulsed there, and no one came to him.

Eventually the tears stopped. He sat holding himself, shaking.

Then, “Mr. Keller!”

Keller frantically looked down the structure toward the path. He could not see Aevery but she was looking for him. He scrambled around the corner to a small brooke that ran behind the building and splashed the tears from his face.

Rounding the corner, he found Aevery and another alfar, Caelean, waiting at the spot she had left him. She stared at him with a sorrowful look for a moment as he approached, “I’m sorry, Moses.” Keller said nothing

Caelean pointed toward the forest outside the city, “He seems to have left Caer Nouveau for the woods. We should be able to catch up to him soon.”

Keller shook his head, “Let him go. He chose to leave and I would not infringe upon that choice. I have decided to stay. If the Myrk come to destroy us all, I might as well enjoy your home’s beauty until it happens.”

Aevery move as if she intended to approach him, but stayed where she was, “Very well.”

Keller hardly heard what she said next. He found himself following her through the town toward some destination she may have mentioned. Far from him he could hear the gentle breeze, the singing of birds, young alfar returning to their play, barely perceptible through the silence that surrounded him.


	28. Chapter 28

XXVIII.

The next day Aevery and her retinue did not return to their patrol. King Aelfric had fallen ill and she would not leave him while he was at death’s door. Keller spent much of his time in and around the barracks. He spoke to the alfar, read their history and contemplated what he had learned on warm days in the light of the sun. Days passed with no warning. Each hour felt like the passing of a year, yet at the same time Keller would think back and lose track of the weeks gone by.

He spoke with Aevery much and ate dinner with her beside her father’s unconscious form. She asked of his journey and his homeland but he gave little in response. She was much more forthcoming with questions of her people.

“You said you came through a pass to arrive in this land.” Aevery posed the question as if it were quite unimportant, “Where was this pass?”

“I could not tell you more than it was within the mountains beyond the range to the south.” Keller did not look up from his meal.

“Surely there was some identifiable feature nearby.”

Keller’s head rose, his eyes glazed over, “A pool. A damned pool that drive all mad who enter it.”

Aevery leaned closer, “I have never heard of such a thing. The alfar make pilgrimages to sacred pools as a rite of passage. I did so once I came of age. The experience is… personal. Beautiful. And transformative.”

“Then this was certainly not one of those pools.”

“Who was driven mad by entering the pool? Matthew? Or you? How did you recover from this madness?”

Keller opened his mouth but said nothing. Finally, he changed the subject, “Why do the Myrk attack your people?”

Aevery now returned to her meal, her face obscured, “Who can say? Our societies have always fought. We live peaceably with the land and they live for conquest. They know only the wanton joys of power and wealth. They live for bloodshed.”

Keller sighed, “I have known many such men.”

“There is only one remedy for the existence of these types of folk.”

Keller turned toward her. He found her eyes, large, green, fierce, yet full of compassion all at once. 

Aevery pursed her lips, “Tell me more of your time in the village.”

This was a common line of questioning. Keller knew where it led, “I have told you all that happened, Aevery. Matthew and I arrived in the village to find its people slaughtered and its land in ruins. After our long journey, we decided it was a safe enough place to settle. As we began repairing the buildings and tending to the land, it simply… flourished. As if of its own design.”

“What could it have been to make this happen?”

“I cannot say. It baffles me as much as you.”

“There must have been something you did, some act that caused it to flourish.”

Here was where this conversation always led. To a mild accusation that Keller withheld information on the miraculous reparations to village. He indeed withheld information, but none of this had anything to do with the state the village came to when Aevery and her troops arrived, “I assure you, once again, I had no part in it.”

“You must understand, Moses, what happened was not necessarily uncommon. This land serves those who inhabit it in the same way they serve it. But the extent to which it occurred in your circumstances is… unheard of. Whole groups of alfar will move to the villages of their slaughtered families and work for months to return them to their former state. At many points, the crops will grow faster than they should, trees will heal from mortal damages, but for an entire village to return to its prime after a few weeks of tending by two… men? There must be an explanation.”

She was speaking quickly. Her tone had subtleties to it that made him stir. He feared the only answer he could give, “I’m sorry. But there is nothing more I can tell you.”

Aevery lay a hand on his shoulder. Her grip was light, but her fingers were rigid as stones, “If we knew… Moses, if we knew we could stop the Myrk in any way possible and have no worry for the land. Then once the threat is gone we could bring about a time of untold prosperity. The idea that such a thing may be possible…”

Keller stood, letting her hand fall, “If I had an answer, you would be the first I would tell, ael. There is no doubt of that.”

She moved to speak again when the figure on the bed groaned. Aevery leapt to kneel beside her father, “Father! Father, are you able to hear me?”

The voice of the enfeebled alfar was a hoarse whisper, “All too well my daughter.” He smiled and lay a shaking hand on her cheek, then he reached toward Keller, “Come closer, Moses.”

Keller slowly moved toward the bed.

“I see you have made it further along your path. Do not falter now. There is yet a long road ahead.”

Keller’s jaw clenched, “I fear I have made it nowhere for a long time.”

“You are quick to throw off your progress. Taking no steps forward is not taking a step back. And sometimes,” The old alfar chuckled between coughs, “Taking a step back is a step forward in itself.”

“You are all riddles, Aelfric.” Keller struggled to pose a smile.

“My words may mean everything or nothing at all. You will find your way regardless. But you allow an old alfar his fancies. For that I thank you.”

Keller nodded.

Aelfric’s voice became grave, “Your path becomes steep ahead. Be wary.” His body fell limp, eyes closed.

“Father!” Aevery cried, “Father!”

An old female alfar parted the curtain, “He is asleep, dear. I can hear his ragged breaths from outside. Leave him be.”

Aevery held her father’s clammy hand against her forehead, still kneeling at the bedside. Keller suddenly felt uncomfortable. He found himself looking desperately around the room, then out the windows toward the open air and the treetops. A deep breath struggled out of him. He departed without a word.


	29. Chapter 29

XXIX.

Days later, Keller walked among the alleys and paths of Caer Nouveau. Wandering between homes and shops, observing the impressive architecture of these longhouses. Stopping to watch alfar work their craft. He smiled. The robes and tunics of the alfar fit more comfortably about him. He had found new favorite foods and made acquaintances. He was no longer a stranger here.

Rounding a corner, he found Aevery standing at a market stall with a basket of goods. She smiled at him and moved to walk beside him, “How are you, Moses?”

“I am well.” He looked about without aim for where his eyes would lead him, “What do you have there?”

“Juniper, for my father. It is his favorite scent. His nurse says I should not be fetching these things myself. Claims I have better things to be doing. I’m not sure what that would be.” She chuckled.

“Does she think you should be out on patrol as opposed to tending to your father?”

“The opinions of the alfar are quite divided, though she in particular will never impart her own political opinions. Regardless, I will not allow my father to pass through this ailment alone.”

Keller found nothing to say. Aevery was the only alfar to claim he would recover. He refused to question this. They continued to walk aimlessly through paths and gardens.

“What brings you out on this morning?”

“I was seeing if I could find a suitable use for myself.” Keller smiled again.

“How do you mean?”

“I tire of living off the backs of your people. If possible, I thought I would find an occupation.”

“Then you truly mean to stay?” Aevery’s tone elevated.

“I see no other option. And I would be glad to, if the city would have me.”

“There are several areas where you would be invaluable.” Aevery was speaking quickly, “You mentioned you use to be a soldier. Perhaps imparting the knowledge of the strategies of your homeland, say, a military advisor, would suit you well.”

Keller shook his head. They were reaching the end of the city where the path lead into the forest, “No. War is my way no longer. I do not wish to revisit those days. That is behind me. I was thinking perhaps I could be a woodworker, or a farmer.”

Aevery’s sympathetic laugh sounded forced, “My apologies, Moses, but in those fields you would have the usefulness of a child. Yet in matters of war, men are… exquisite.”

They stopped at the brink of the forest, beyond the last houses, and stared at each other, “I cannot go back to that life. I wish to make myself useful in any way I can but… it cannot be that way.”

Aevery sighed and looked away for a moment. She turned back to him and opened her mouth to speak.

A voice came frantically calling down the path, “Ael! Ael!” An alfar male was running towards them.

Keller and Aevery turned toward him. Aevery addressed him, “What is it Malthus?”

“We just recieved word-!” He grinded to a halt, staring off between them with horrified gaze.

Keller and Aevery spun to see from the depths of the forest a massive rustling of forms. The earth seemed to seeth and move as an ocean, and as the forms moved closer, they took shape. As far as the eye could see to the left, right, and behind was an impenetrable horde of armored warriors on enormous insect mounts that moved ever closer.

Keller could only stand and watch the approaching horde as Aevery turned and called out into the city. Soon the horde had reached the edge of the trees and stopped, several meters from Keller and Aevery. An overwhelming silence loomed. Keller could not even find the courage to breath. On an instinct, he turned behind him to find a gathering of alfar. Many dressed for battle, many in home attire, all wielding swords and bows.

He looked back toward the horde before them. He felt the energy of the amassed forces shift violently from static anticipation toward action. And in that split second, thunder cracked, and it began to rain.


	30. Chapter 30

XXX.

The only thing Keller could think to do was run. He turned toward the charging alfar and sprinted recklessly into their fray. Before crossing a dozen meters, a sharpened stone flung by one of the Myrk soldiers struck him in the leg. He fell to the earth, rain pouring down upon him. The earth became mud and he sunk into its amorphous form. Trying to stand, pain struck through his leg. He slipped and was further covered in filth. 

He rolled onto his back and watched as the bodies of alfar and Myrk rose at the conjunction of their madness. Cries echoed from both sides. Blood sprayed from split skulls, flayed chests. It ran in diluted rivers of rainwater and mud toward him, coating the earth. A bolt of lighting crashed down from the heavens, striking a tree at the crux of the battle, showering flaming timber upon all. Fire and blood and water were everywhere.

He searched for Aevery, but could not find her amongst the chaos. Suddenly, a cry consumed the sound of rain and death.

“NO!” Keller looked behind him to find Aelfric’s withered body stumbling into the maelstrom, calling out with a voice as powerful as the storm, “We must not do this! All will be consumed! You must stop!”

The battle ensued despite his laments, but Aevery shifted from the mass, donning a look of horror, “Father! Father, go back!”

Aelfric stumbled desperately toward the flaming near the center of the battle, “You must stop!”

“Father!”

Aevery’s call was met with the crack of bone as a spiked stone hurled from the maddness and struck the king. His head flew backward, blood pouring from an obscured source, and he fell.

It was then that the violence ceased. All turned toward the king, trying to comprehend through rain and blood drowned eyes what had occured.

Sword arms were beginning to fall as Aevery cried, “For the king!”

The alfar swung at the Myrk in full force, driving them backward. Keller realized his place in the midst of this bloodshed and forced himself to his feet. His leg would barely hold him and each hobbled step toward the city was agony. A force struck him in the back. Blackness bathed the world. 

Color returned to him what must have been moments later. He was being dragged roughly by a strong arm. The muddied earth was before him and the raging sounds of battle all around. A puddle of water swimming with blood came into view. The puddle rose up to meet him, sound and sight vanishing once again. Arms braced the sloshing earth on either side to lift him from the depths when a boot stomped firmly between his shoulder blades.

Flailing and coughing, blood and water filling his nose and mouth. The abyss was too deep to escape by turning left or right. A haze began to drift over him. This was the end. The end he had awaited since the village. This was deserved retribution for his crimes. The price to be paid. To die drowned in blood and earth and water like his comrades. But why? Why must this be the cost? Why must he be forsaken for his failures? Why was this the only worthy punishment? The only justice? As his lungs screamed for air and his skull pulsed madly he thought of justice. And his arms rose him from the abyss.

He launched himself upward, throwing off his assailant who fell backward to the ground, startled. Through hazed vision, Keller found the faint outline of an axe, gripped tightly by the fallen warrior. Placing a firm shoe upon the others chest, gripping both hands around the haft of the weapon, he ripped it away. It rose behind him by the strength of his arms. Rain streaming from his hair washed the blood from his face, and for a moment he saw terror struck eyes behind a black helmet. Then he brought the axe down.

Arms tore the blade violently from the choking form, raising it, and thrusting it down again. The foot upon the motionless form’s chest had to be used as leverage the second time the axe was pulled forth. Then it was thrust down again. The third pull was easier with the armor torn away. The fourth time the axe was thrust down only splashing and cutting of flesh came from the form. Again the axe was pulled from it. Arms weak, body drooping, Keller walked around the corpse, raised the axe once more, and buried it through the helmet and skull of his victim.

He breathed heavily and looked off toward the ongoing battle. The Myrk were dispersing, fleeing from the cheering alfar. Determined stragglers cut down as their allies departed. The pain in his leg caught up with him. He dropped to the earth, arms on his knees. Proud of these people. Proud of himself. Tilting back his head, the rain washed away what was left of the rain and mud from his face, and he smiled.

A scream split the solace of darkness behind his eyelids. When he opened them, he found Aevery running toward her father’s body. She fell before it and held it in her arms, weeping. Keller stood slowly. He felt light as the wind as he approached his kneeling comrade. Aevery’s knees had disappeared in the mire of the battle and its refuse still dripped from the head of the body in her arms. Keller lay a hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him, seeming almost unaware of who he was.

“Do not worry, ael. This is not the end. We will save your people. We will kill them all.”


	31. Chapter 31

XXXI.

This was his path, he knew it. Aelfric said he would be able to find his way through war. War was all he knew. War made sense. But this time it was different. Keller sat at a table in the palace, beside Aethlwulf and Aevery. Many other alfar sat around the table with them, some old, some young, some in robes, some in armor. These were the nobles, politicians and generals of Caer Nouveau, gathered to discuss a strategy to end the Myrk threat. This was something Keller understood. Yet this time it was different. This time he was not the oppressor, he was battling the oppressor. He was defending a people whose way of life was threatened. He could make up for his crimes in this way.

Keller was brought back to the discussion when an alfar noble spoke, “We certainly have the resources to assault them, but we do not have the information. We do not even know where their kingdom is.”

Aevery countered, “We know where it is. It is within the mountains to the south, beside the great chasm.”

“But we have no notion of how to enter it!” Another noble protested.

“That problem is easily solved.” The table became silent at Keller’s words.

Finally, a general spoke, “What is this man doing at our table? We have not had dealings with men in centuries and those are not treasured memories.”

Aevery responded quickly, “He is an honored guest of the king.”

Aethlwulf followed this immediately, “And he has military knowledge of other lands that may be useful in setting the Myrk off guard. Certainly more useful than you have ever been.”

Keller found Aethlwulf’s sudden approval of him intriguing. A smirk forced itself across his face.

Another general proceeded, “So, man, how is this problem solved.”

“Simple,” Keller continued, “we ask someone who does know how to enter their kingdom.”

“A Myrk ?” A noble scoffed, “How do you plan to get close enough to one to politely ask?”

Keller was shocked at the lack of foresight among these elders, “Well, obviously they have shown every intention of coming to us.”

The whole table turned to him with raised eyebrows. One alfar asked, accusatory, “Are you proposing inciting another attack on the city? This is outrageous! Guards! Throw him out!”

Aevery leaned in to speak, but Keller cut her off, “I am proposing no such thing! They have killed your king. While they think us off guard, they will likely become much more aggressive, especially toward the outer fringes of your kingdom. I propose leading a small force to the village where Aevery and the Crimson Sash found me to set up a forward base of operations. We are very likely to be attacked once the Myrk learn of our coming. Then all that needs to be done is to keep one alive when the rest of the force is driven off.”

“Are you proposing… torture?” One noble protested.

“I am proposing using the only measures we have to prevent the utter annihilation of all alfar.” This put the table into another silence for a moment.

“And what if your small force is overwhelmed and you are all killed?” The first general contested.

“Unlikely,” Keller continued, “for one, we will be ready for them. Second, I have faith in your troops as they have shown enormous capacity for driving off Myrk forces. And lastly, there are weapons hidden in that village.” Aevery turned to him with an incredulous look, “Weapons that neither the Ljosalfar nor the Myrk have ever seen and likely will not understand. They are from my land. And I assure you the Myrk will find them… devastating.”

After a moment, Aevery stood, “I will be part of this troop.” Protest began but she quickly ended it, “As will Aethlwulf, if he so wishes.”

“Of course, ael.”

Aevery continued, “This is the best plan of action we have. Being heir to the late… my father… I must assure that it succeeds.”

“Aevery…” An elderly alfar woman who had not yet spoken addressed her. She sat at the other end of the table, hardly noticeable, and spoke softly, “Do not proceed with this plan. Stay. Stay with the alfar. They need you in this time of great sorrow. Do not depart on a fool’s errand that will only cause more death and destruction. It is not what your father would have wanted. It is not our way. You know better than war, if only your angry young heart could see it.”

Tears welled in Aevery’s eyes, “Our way… my father’s way… served him very poorly.”

The table sat in one last, prolonged silence.

“We leave at dawn.” Aevery pushed her chair back and departed from the room.


	32. Chapter 32

XXXII.

Keller stood on the railless balcony outside the late Aelfric’s bedroom, the toes of his shoes skirting the edge. His arms crossed behind his back and his chin lifted to welcome the breeze. He looked not toward the chasm that had taken so much from him, but toward the sky. Rain still pattered lightly through the trees, draining off leaves to descend and wet his brow.

Footsteps rang lightly behind him, “I have a gift for you, sir.” Aethlwulf stood at his back, a gift wrapped in cloth lay in his open hands.

Keller turned and reached carefully for the long, thin present. He propped it as a babe in one arm and unfolded it. It was a blade. Graceful and deadly. When the cloth was removed, he found this wrapping heavier than the sword itself. Aethlwulf took the cloth as Keller raised the gift by the hilt. It rested effortlessly in his grasp, reaching toward the sky as a beacon to those who would threaten him, “I cannot thank you enough for this, ael.”

“It is my pleasure. You have shown true conviction and loyalty to us. I must apologize for my previous impropriety.”

“No. Think nothing of it at all.”

“We shall depart soon, though Aevery wishes to speak with you before we go. She awaits inside.”

“I will be in soon.”

“At your leisure, sir. But please, have this as well.” Aethlwulf drew a belt with a sheathe before him. He departed before Keller and strapped it about himself.

Keller observed the blade in his hands. A sudden fear struck him. He had never carried any sword besides one for ceremony. He had very little notion of how to utilize this weapon effectively in battle. He threw these thoughts from his mind and slid the shimmering beauty into its place at his side.

Stepping through the curtain into the palace proper, he found Aevery awaiting him atop the dais, “Moses, before we depart… I must… reveal something to you.”

Keller was mused at her hesitation, “Certainly, Aevery.”

“Follow me, please.” She lead him down the dais toward a door in the corner of the palace. An alfar standing guard stood aside and let them pass. They began descending a spiral stair of earth, deep into the bowels of the palace, “I must deeply apologize. I felt I could not trust you until I was sure you were wholly dedicated to our cause.”

“All nations must hold their secrets,” Keller shrugged the comment off, “I, most of all, am not entitled to yours may be.”

Aevery looked back at him as she descended. He could not discerned what this look meant. She then faced forward, continuing the trek into the pit. 

The way was lit by unknown sources. Soft, cool hues lights shining from behind roots that reached far from their origin. The path leveled out at times to house small rooms situated behind an impenetrable mass of thick roots. The path would then lead again to more earthen stairs. Keller wondered how far it would lead.

“You must know how important it is to discover what power caused the village to flourish.”

Keller opened his mouth to protest but was interrupted.

“I realize you know nothing of how it happened, but if it is in some way linked to you, we must find out. For all our sake.”

“I suppose I would agree with this.”

“I am glad you do. I would pay any cost to assure that the land can be revived after this crisis. Any cost.”

Keller’s brow furrowed, “Where are you leading me, ael?”

The path leveled out before them again into a wide room with no other exits. At the otherside of the earthen chamber was another of the rooms partially shrouded by roots. Beside this stood Aethlwulf, and within…

“Oh my God. Matthew!” Keller ran to the root barrier and his comrade too from the other side.

“Mr. Keller!”

Matthew gripped the thick roots as if to rip them away. Keller reached through them, desperately gripping Matthew’s arms, “Matthew… what…?” He could not find words.

“Mr. Keller! Do not turn your back to them! They will throw you in her as well!”

“That is not why we brought you here.” Aevery declared.

“Lies! Mr. Keller, you must kill them! We must flee at once!”

Aethlwulf drew his sword, “Fiend!”

Aevery raised a hand to silence him, “Be still! His reaction is understandable. Moses, we mean neither you, nor Matthew, any harm.”

Keller looked back toward her, still gripping Matthew’s arms, “How can that be true while I see him caged before me?”

“At any cost, Moses.”

Keller tried to gather his thoughts.

“You were leaving.” She drew closer, “You both were about to wander to your deaths in the wilderness. This was the fairest choice.”

Matthew wrung the wooden bars of his cell, “The fairest! You imprisoned me for weeks in this dank pit!”

Aevery cocked her head, “And how have you been treated in that time?”

“It hardly matters!”

“You have been well fed, bathed, given clean clothes, a soft place to lie your head. We have even supplied you with reading materials.”

“You wish me to be thankful ? For allowing me to indoctrinate myself with your heretical nonsense!”

Aevery shrugged, “Regardless, we tried to keep him entertained.”

Keller shook his head, hanging now from Matthew’s arms.

Aevery lay a hand on his shoulder, “Moses, we took him against his will, yes. This is a crime that will not be repaid lightly and I do not expect him to readily trust us. But we gave him every possible hospitality and the alternative was far worse. You have seen how bold the Myrk have become. You have seen their numbers and how they battle without mercy. You understand the threat arrayed against you, Matthew, and all alfar.”

“Mr. Keller!” Matthew’s words failed to breach Keller’s contemplation, “She spins a web of lies!”

Keller looked down at the blade on his hip, felt the waning ache in the leg it hung against. He stood tall, “Aevery is right.”

“No!”

“It was worth the cost.”

“You cannot believe that!”

“Release him.”

Aevery moved toward the roots and in the same moment Aethlwulf’s hand moved cautiously to the hilt of his sword. She touched the barrier and wooden bars instantly swam upward, disappearing into the earthen ceiling. 

Before Matthew could react, Keller tightly grasped with sleeves of his tunic and brought him close, “We cannot survive in this land while the Myrk remain. They must be destroyed and we cannot accomplish this without the aid of the alfar. Your anger is warranted but make no mistake. If it hinders this partnership, we will both perish. Do you understand, Matthew? This is where we must fight. With everything we have.”

“Yes, sir.” Matthew’s startled eyes were locked upon Keller’s. He had spoken the words without a moment's thought. His lips moved to correct themselves, but Keller embraced him and his body went limp, releasing him into the arms of his leader.


	33. Chapter 33

XXXIII.

The small force rode slowly from the paths of Caer Nouveau into the forest. Rain trickled upon leather jerkins and dampened feathers. The talons of their mounts stamped in the muddy earth, paving the way behind them with large prints. The forest seemed more bleak than before. Trees stretched ominously over their trail, reaching down gnarled limbs as if to snatch riders from saddles. Dark birds flew off as they approached, casting further wetness down upon them. Even the mounts hissed angrily if another would wander too close, sometimes snapping and biting at each other. Grim faces darkened the entire party. All but Keller, who observed the changed woodland with great curiosity.

Keller and Aevery rode in the lead, Matthew and Aethlwulf behind them. Caelen, the tracker, and the rest of the Crimson Sash followed along with a small gathering of volunteers. Keller turned back on his mount to observe the party. He found some members of the Crimson Sash looking down at their namesake. The rain was washing away the red stain of their garments, leaving them whiter than they once were, draining a trail of blood behind them.

Aevery drew him away from his observations, “Moses, what are these weapons you hid in the village?”

Keller first decided to apologize, “I regret I did not tell you earlier. Your band was suspicious of us already and I had honestly forgotten about them upon leaving the village.”

“You had no reason to trust us. I merely ask to have foreknowledge of our plan.”

“Of course. They are… long range weapons. Think of a bow. Or, more accurately, the slings of the Myrk. These weapons are metal tubes that can fire several small metal projectiles before having to be loaded again.”

“Miraculous.” Aevery said the word as if in a trance, staring straight ahead of them into the depths of the wood, “And you described them as devastating?”

“Yes. These projectiles can fly hundreds of meters with almost precision accuracy. And they travel so fast that they reach their target the instant the projectile is let loose. They do so with enough force to pass through men, armor, and walls with ease. With these weapons, you could cut down ten opponents in the time it takes to draw a bow.”

Aevery’s lips hung open, limp. Her eyes flitted about the forest. Keller awaited her response. He continued to wait.

“Mr. Keller?” Matthew called from directly behind him.

“Matthew, how many times must I ask you to call me Moses?” Keller said with a grin.

“Yes… certainly. May I speak with you a moment?”

Aevery halted the party, “I think it is good idea for you two to talk. We should make camp here anyway and I would like to update Aethlwulf on how we should prepare for battle, having the use of those… weapons.”

The party dismounted and began setting up tents and searching for dry wood. Keller and Matthew strode a short distance in to the trees.

“What is it, Matthew?”

Matthew looked back at camp, then again toward Keller, “What is the plan?”

Keller cocked his head, “You know the plan. We must first capture a Myrk soldier to learn the location of their kingdom.”

“Yes, but after the war is over. I understand we must work with these savages for now, but what comes after?”

“They are not savages. They are a wise and intelligent race who wishes only for peace.”

“Regardless, they are not our people. We are not like them.”

“Perhaps we should be.”

“While they force us to fight their battles for them? While they use our knowledge and our technology for their own ends? They are controlling both of us!”

“We are not their prisoners, Matthew.”

“I was their prisoner!” Matthew thrust a finger into his chest.

Keller stood silent for a moment, “We know better than most, there is a cost for victory.”

“These are a race we cannot trust. We must escape them, as soon as we are able.”

“They fight for good. They are honorable and just. There is no better banner to fight under.”

“M… Moses. I am sorry.” Matthew collected himself, “But what about what you said.”

“What did I say?” Keller threw off the question.

“That we will live as free men. Without leaders. Without orders.”

“We do not take orders from the alfar. We have chosen to help them because it is right. We could walk away now, unharmed.”

“You know that not to be true.” Every word of dissent struggled from Matthew’s tongue.

“Make your choice, Matthew.” Keller waved a hand as he walked past his comrade, “I have made mine.”

Keller had not walked far before he heard Matthew’s slow footsteps marching behind him.

The alfar, preeminently skilled in utilizing the land of their purposes, were nevertheless having great trouble getting campfires started. The ones that were started quickly fizzled out from rainwater draining off the drooping trees above. The tents, though made of shockingly durable and impenetrable cloths and skins, made quite damp abodes for sleeping. If this was not enough to keep the party awake, the howls and cries from the depths of the forest surely did. Many of these calls were animals, but in the moment of drifting off into slumber, a Myrk battle cry would call out from the trees. The thudding of large insectoid feet would march along the earth. The tearing of leaves being blasted to wisps by launched stones would wake one of the party and they would be unable to discern if they had actually heard the sound, or if their descent into slumber had conjured it from their drifting thoughts.

Hours after he had laid next to Matthew in their tent, Keller finally slipped from consciousness without noticing and awoke but a moment later with the gray light of day shining through the raised tent flap.

“It’s time to go.” Aevery said, then dropping the flap, allowing them to awaken to the realization their clothes were soaked through and their skin was pruned.

They travelled for several days in these conditions. As time passed the party saw less and less of the animals of the forest. The noise they made was the only mark of their existence. Wolves howled, wings cascaded violently through the branches above, deer bellowed in anguish as some unseen atrocity befell them. The only creatures that welcomed them in this forest turned marsh, were gnats, mosquitoes and ticks. Flies buzzed above tall grasses as the stench of decay rose from its depths. Centipedes roamed within and without tree trunks. Spiders nested in their branches, here and there reaching down to settle upon an unsuspecting soldier. 

Each passing day, complaints and protests rose louder from the small band as Aevery grew quieter. Keller could no longer coerce her to engage in conversation. He discussed military campaigns from his homeland openly. He described his childhood and the homestead he grew up on. All with no response from his comrade.

As dusk broke one day, they drove their frustrated mounts through a dense thicket into a wide glade. They had reached the village. The massive oak in the center loomed ominous, with branches contorted like tortured limbs and roots thrusting forth from the earth like tentacles of a great sea beast reaching above the waves. The gardens and flower beds of the village were drowned, vegetables once again rotted, all life hung in the grip of death. The wooden homes of the village were intact, but clearly rotting.

On the horizon Keller saw the space between the mountains his company had come through. He thought beyond it, to the pool. Its glistening waters that seemed so inviting and calm, yet were so devastating.

Keller looked toward Aevery as they rode up the hill toward the great oak. Rainwater coated her and droplets slid in a stream to the corners of her eyes and down her cheeks. She kept her gaze straight ahead.

“What is that!” Caelen pointed toward the forest. Large forms, low to the ground, wove between the trees at the edge of the forest.

“Those,” Keller halted his mount before the great oak and all dismounted, “Are the same beasts that we chased toward this village. The same beasts that prowled its perimeter until you arrived.”

All the alfar, even Aethlwulf, stared in amazement at the shifting forms.

“Do you not recognize these creatures? Have you not lived in this forest all your lives?”

Aevery took long strides away from them toward the shelter of the homes, “No alfar has ever seen these beasts. Not one.”

Keller stared with incredulity after her as the alfar and Matthew followed past him into the shelter of the homes of his victims.


	34. Chapter 34

XXXIV.

Aevery drew Keller to a corner of the dining hall, “Before we rest, show me these weapons of yours.”

“Certainly, Aevery.” Keller lead Aevery, Aethlwulf and Matthew to the last cottage at the edge of the village and within, to the trunk before the bed. 

Aethlwulf lit the torch at the entrance to stave off the dark.

They stood before the trunk. Keller kneeled down and lifted the lid, then sat silently, drawing his eyes over the weathered tools of his former life, “Two handguns, and two automatic rifles.”

“They look...” Aevery furrowed her brow, “useless. They are simply bars of metal.”

Keller removed the clip of one of the pistols and withdrew a bullet from it, holding it up before the alfar, “These are the projectiles that move faster than the eye can see and cut through flesh as if it were not even there.”

“This is how we shall devastate the Myrk forces? With tiny points of steel?”

Keller fumbled for the words to regain their confidence, “They… they don’t look like much. But they are quite deceiving in the power they wield.”

The party stood silent for a moment. Aevery breathed heavily in contemplation, “Can you teach us how to use them?”

“My apologies. We have limited ammunition and do not have the resources or the knowledge to make more. Once our supply has run out…”

Aethlwulf continued from Keller’s pause, “They will be useless.”

Keller held up a pleading hand to them, “I assure you, you must believe me, these will determine the coming battle. And we should have enough even to continue into their stronghold with. And in my homeland, people run in terror of these weapons. If the Myrk are equally as scared, they may win the war for us.”

Quick breathes leapt from the alfar, as if they were stifling laughter. Aevery regained her composure, “Can you give us a demonstration?”

Keller fidgeted for a moment, then dropped his arms,“We should wait until we are prepared for battle. If I fire any of these, every living thing within two kilometers will know we are here.”

Aethlwulf’s eyes rolled in his head, arms thrown up, “Deceptive, useless and loud.” He shot a grin at Aevery, “These weapons are just like the men who made them, are they not?” Then left the cottage.

Keller faced Aevery, pleading one last time, “Aevery, I assure you. These weapons will mean our victory.”

The alfar queen still held her furrowed brow, “They had better.” She left without another word.

Matthew doused the torch and they lay down on their hard mattresses. Keller was staring up at the leaking roof, arms across his chest. Matthew turned in his bed to face his comrade, “That was humiliating.”

“I entirely agree.”

“Watching you pleading for the approval of these alfar.”

Keller’s head spun toward Matthew, “I will not hear judgements from you! The disagreeable man who still comes when called!”

“As though I have a choice!”

“You have the only choice over your actions!”

“And the alternative? To abandon the only one I recognize in this God forsaken land? To wander into the wilderness and meet my end at the hands of the Myrk or some other creature? Or to make my bed in some backwater village of foreigners and wait for us all to come to the same? You do what you do with no consideration for me or yourself. But I still wish to survive and I understand that the only way to do so is with you by my side.”

A deep ache struck Keller, he faced back toward the leaky roof, twiddling his fingers, “I am sorry this is the road laid out before you, Matthew. But I cannot turn back. I cannot seem to help myself from doing what is right. Even to my own detriment.”

“If that is how you wish to see it.”

Keller turned back to Matthew, mouth opened for a response, but he found his despondent comrade turned away toward the wall and the words were then lost to him.

The next morning the alfar were already at work before the two had woken up. Keller rose and fetched his arms from the trunk. He and Keller strapped the rifle across their backs and holstered the pistols at their sides. They found the holsters looking quite ridiculous with their leather armor. Keller then left the porthole of the cottage to find a cottage almost entirely disassembled and the troops using its remains to create spiked barricades around the village’s perimeter.

Aevery strode up to them, “Matthew, would you assist the alfar in constructing the chevaux-de-frise? They should be finished soon, but another set of hands would not hurt.”

Matthew looked from Aevery to Keller, then wandered off to join the other troops.

Aevery watched him as she address Keller, “I hope you understand how heavily we are relying on you.”

“My weapons will not fail us.”

“That is not what I mean.”

Keller was puzzled.

Aevery turned to him, “When this is over, you will be the only thing that can revive this land. Untold destruction will be brought upon it and you are the only thing that we know of that can reverse it.” She held up a hand to silence his protest, “I know you haven’t the faintest idea how to harness this power. I know you feel it did not even come from within you. But you are the key. Whether you think it or not, all our hopes rest on you.”

Keller felt the weight of her eyes upon him. He turned away but they were no less powerful. The space between the mountains caught his eye again. His mind wandered to the pool, “The pool that your people go to for their rites of passage…”

“Yes?”

“What… what is their purpose? What do they show you that give you such enlightening experiences?”

She took a few strides to stand just ahead of him and look out at her troops, “Some say they impart truths of the world and what lies beyond. Some say there are no true alfar who have not visited the pools. That the pools make us what we are. Some, and I, believe they show you your true self in that moment. This explanation makes the most sense to me.”

“Do you think the pool my men and I wandered into was one of these pools?”

Aevery looked back at him for a moment then returned her gaze to the alfar and the forest beyond, “I certainly hope not.”


	35. Chapter 35

XXXV.

Later that day the spiked barricades were finished and the alfar stood prepared for battle. The rain had recently ceased and a cold wettness swept over the village. A dark grey gloom coated the mid afternoon air in partial darkness. The sky was indistinguishable from the clouds. They roiled and frothed, coating all they watched over with an uncomfortable energy. 

Trees around the village seemed to struggle under the weight of the damp air. They hung and curled in strange shapes, like a man forced to stand when overcome by fever. Leaves blew from their branches in droves with every thrust of the wind. The chests of the alfar rose and fell heavily with these gusts.

Aethlwulf, Aevery, Keller and Matthew stood at the forefront of the small force, weapons drawn. Aethlwulf broke their contemplation, “Now we have only to wait.”

Aevery shook her head, “I am tired of waiting while my home decays. Moses, call our enemy.”

Keller looked toward her for a moment, then returned his rifle to his shoulder and drew his pistol. Aiming it above the line of trees, he fired. The deafening blast echoed lonely across the landscape. Shuffling feet could be heard from the alfar behind him. Aevery had no reaction.

Aethlwulf poked at his ears, “They must have heard that in Caer Nouveau!”

There was no response to this. Keller drew his automatic rifle once more and breathed deeply. The coming battle would be a glorious one. He would show his worth. He would prove his purpose. Finally, he could improve upon a world, instead of destroying it.

Several minutes passed before Aevery raised her sword, “They are coming.”

Soon Keller heard shouts from the forest, then a rustling in the trees. He raised his firearm toward the forest. Matthew did the same. A force of Myrk, ten times the size of the alfar’s numbers, emerged from the forest and rushed toward the barricade. The front line was composed of riders on the insectoid mounts, their spiked heads raised up to protect their riders and strike any who were near. Upon reaching the spiked barricade, troops on foot emerged from this line with axes to cut them down and clear a path.

Aevery raised her arm and the alfar behind them drew arrows to their bow strings. Three volleys flew before the Myrk were able to cross the barricade. Already a great number of them lie dead and the pointed legs of their mounts cut within the mound of corpses to climb past. The Myrk began driving up the hill of the village at great speed.

Aevery turned to Keller and Matthew, “Now!”

The two comrades ran out before the alfar and stood as a feeble bastion against the oncoming assault. Keller and Matthew aimed their rifles into the thick horde and squeezed their triggers. The arms fired rapidly, casting the whole village into a cacophony of brutal drums. A dense spray of bullets cast into the enemy lines, striking any and all in sight. The Myrk halted, startled by the maddening bangs. The two men’s clips soon ran dry, they reached into their packs to reload, but their reaching hands froze when they awoke with terrified realization.

The Myrk looked around themselves and began laughing. Their black armor, and insect mounts were pocked all over with small indentations, yet not a single one of their number had fallen. Keller spun toward Aevery and Aethlwulf. Aevery wore a dark grimace.

Aethlwulf grinned ironically through his fear, “Devastating?”

Keller stumbled over his thoughts, “They...they cut through flesh as if it were not even there…”

“I do not see any flesh upon these fiends.” Aethlwulf pointed toward their black armor, Keller found nothing to say, “You may want to properly arm yourself.”

Keller looked to his side, opposite his holstered pistol. There still rested the blade Aethlwulf had given him. He drew it, and fell back to the line with Matthew.

Aevery stood ready to charge against the horde that had once again composed itself, “Fall to the back. If any come through my troops, you will have to fend for yourselves.”

The two helpless men drove to the back of the line as Aevery cried out to her alfar, and they charged. Keller fixed himself at their rear, the longsword quivering between his fingers. Matthew had run past him toward the alfar’s feathered mounts and drew a spare sword from one of the packs. He looked toward Keller, standing alone with a hopeless battle raging behind him. Matthew lay a hand on the back of one of the mounts. Keller shook his head. Still Matthew stood there.

Suddenly, Keller’s comrade’s eyes grew wide, he aimed a finger toward the battle and Keller turned to find a Myrk warrior charging him. He thrust himself away from a descending axe, landing upon the wet earth. Rolling and rising again, he put his sword between himself and his opponent. His leg ached and shook uncontrollably, putting him off balance. The Myrk charged again and Keller suddenly realized the brute was revealing his strikes well beforehand, holding his axe far to one side, preparing to swing it horizontally. As his opponent came near, Keller allowed himself to fall under the weight of his aching limb. The axe blow swing above him, severing a dozen hairs from his head. Keller then thrust his sword in the opposite direction, separating one leg at the thigh and burying itself halfway into the other. The Myrk tumbled toward his divorced limb, axe falling away from him. A chillingly human sound forcing its way from his throat.

Keller rose, standing pridefully above the bleeding figure, writhing at his feet. His head shot towards where Matthew had stood, and he found him gone, feathered limbs vanishing into the trees. He sighed sharply. Matthew had left him in actuality this time. Yet this time the pain was numbed by his newfound purpose. Turning back to the battle, he saw far fewer combatants than had entered the fray. They fought not upon the damp earth, but a litter of corpses.

As he ran toward the slaughter, Aethlwulf came into view, struggling upon the earth with a Myrk prepared to impale him with his own sword. Keller sprinted through plunging axes and swinging swords, leaping into the air to bring his own blade down on the neck of Aethlwulf’s aggressor. He reached out a hand to bring Aethlwulf to his feet, nearly slipping himself in the blood mire that had arisen. The alfar nodded to him and looked around. The handful of alfar left cheered and thrust their fists in the air, taunting the remaining Myrk who sprinted for the trees. Arrows met their backs as they ran and very few made it to the shelter of the forest. Celebration faded quickly when the alfar realized how many they had lost. Many of their allies and friends were lost under the mound of Myrk bodies. Without command they began raising the fallen to their shoulders, Myrk and Ljosalfar alike, carrying them to the edge of the village to be buried.

Aethlwulf turned about, then looked at Keller with pity, “I do not see Matthew. I am sorry.”

Keller sighed deeply, “Do not be, he did not fall.”

Aethlwulf’s eyes found the feathered mounts across the village, “Coward.”

Keller immediately shot back, “This was not his fight. Nor is it mine. His choice to leave out of self preservation is as admirable as any.”

The alfar captain had nothing to say to this, but soon noticed the final remaining Myrk who was absent a leg, feebly crawling toward them, axe in hand, “Aha!” He strode up to the wounded soldier, laying a firm boot upon the axe. The Myrk reached up with his hand, shook, then fell unconscious.

“Cauterize his wounds,” Keller ordered, “Then restrain him in one of the cottages. We will have words with him soon.”

It seemed as though night had nearly fallen with the darkness brought on by the looming clouds. Rivulettes of blood, barely perceptible, wound there way down the village hill, weaving and twirling to form deltas at the feet of the alfar burying the dead. Aevery stood not far from them at the slopes of the earthen mound where the villagers were carelessly laid to rest. The wooden staff of the village elder still reached toward the sky at the top of the mound.

Keller approached, finding his place beside Aevery who called no attention to his arrival. He shuffled his feet briefly, “They will be avenged soon.”

“They will never be avenged.” She said softly.

He turned to her in shock.

“These innocents were brutally murdered without reason. They were thrown into a heap in the earth and forgotten. Nothing can improve upon that.”

A pause ensued, “We can try. We have a Myrk prisoner, now there is only the task of learning the location of their stronghold.”

“Perhaps you should be about it then.”

A raindrop struck his skull while he stared at her. She continued to gaze upon the mound when water began hailing from the clouds and he wandered off.


	36. Chapter 36

XXXVI.

The rain drenched his already damp clothes. His boots drove into the soft earth and returned from it with a mass of filth. Upon reaching the porthole of the only cottage with a lit fire, lighting cascaded across the heavens. Within was Aethlwulf, seated across from the Myrk with a burnt stump for a leg, strapped tightly to a chair. The quivering fire danced shadows long across their faces. 

The Myrk’s armor and helmet had been removed, revealing a stocky frame and a face largely obscured by matted black hair. This hair ran down to his shoulders with no distinguishing line between it and the beard that reached to his belly. Pointed ears drove from the mess of hair, so long they hung limp under their own weight. What could be seen of the face beneath was deathly pale, angular, cruel and terrified. Pupils were slits, piercing like a snakes through a lowered brow. 

The captive did not look cooperative. This almost excited Keller. He addressed Aethlwulf, still lounging in his chair, “Do you have a knife?”

Aethlwulf tossed him a weapon from his hip. Keller proceed to remove the hair from the captive’s visage, throwing clumps upon the ground. The captive made no reaction, even when the blade cut across his scalp and jaw. Blood trickled across his cold, immobile face. When finished, Keller pulled a chair across the room and sat directly in front of his captive, observing the pale skull and pointed chin, speckled all over with patches of hair.

“Where is the entrance to the Myrk stronghold.” The demand was given.

The captive remained as a statue.

“Aethlwulf, would you fetch me a bucket of water?”

“Certainly.”

The alfar departed and Keller rose to approach the fire. He found the cauterizing axe still within, white in preparation as if waiting for him. Drawing it from the fire, he returned to the captive, holding the axe blade inches from his bleeding scalp.

“Where is the entrance to the Myrk stronghold.”

Silence. He pressed the white hot metal to the side of the captive skull. A sizzling noise and smoke drifted from it along with the smell of burnt flesh. The captive shook violently, but made let out not a whisper. Keller sat before him in silence again. He did not bother to pose the question once more, he simply pressed the axe blade hard against the captive’s ear, long enough to force a cry from him, and removed it. Thunder shook the world outside.

“Where is the entrance to the Myrk stronghold.”

Silence. Keller rose and returned the axe to the fire for possible later use. Aethlwulf reentered the cottage carrying a bucket of water as Keller returned to his chair, “Thank you, set it beside him please.”

The alfar set the bucket of water near the captives chair and returned to his seat, lounging as if at the theatre. Keller began looking around the cottage, “I need a cloth.” The captive was breathing heavily while he rummaged around the table and in drawers. He then turned to find Aethlwulf standing before him, holding out his sash stained red with Myrk blood. Keller gently took the sash, “I am honored.”

“It is not you who is honored. There is no more noble use for this.”

Keller carefully placed the bleeding sash over the face of the captive, “Hold his head back.”

Aethlwulf walked behind the chair, gripping the captive’s skull and forcing it backward.

Keller lifted the bucket of water, “Where is the entrance to the Myrk stronghold.” Keller waited barely a moment before pouring a steady stream from the bucket over the captive’s face. He gasped and sputtered and struggled but Aethlwulf’s hands held him firm.

“Where is the entrance to the Myrk stronghold!” He did not wait for a response but dowsed the sash again. The chair rocked and slammed on the wooden floor as the captive choked and gagged through the cloth. As the stream of water poured upon the garment, the red dyed fibers faded pale, color being washed away. Blood dripped from its frayed ends over Aethlwulf’s restraining hands. Thunder boomed.

Keller ripped the cloth away and sat down before his victim. Aethlwulf returned to his seat. The pounding rain upon the roof nearly drowned out the hacking coughs. Keller found the captive’s eyes, “Usually in this business, one is suppose to develop a report with the prisoner. I am not doing this for two reasons: first, I’m not very good at it. Inflicting pain is much easier than making friends. And second, I don’t have time for it because I have a dozen other Myrk waiting for my attention if you don’t cooperate.” The most imperceptible twitch of the eyebrow sprung from the captive and vanished, “Make no mistake, I will continue until I can no longer keep you alive. It may take some time. Then the rest of your allies will get their turn.”

The captive averted his eyes from Keller, masking his face in shadow without voicing a word. Then the night drove on. Here and there Keller returned to the axe in the fireplace and the crimson sash. Aethlwulf left periodically to fill the water bucket. Much of the night was spend with the knife the alfar had given Keller. He carved random patterns across the Myrk’s skull and chest. He removed the nails of fingers and toes. Then the fingers and toes themselves. This is when they finally drew screams. The axe was used to cauterize these wounds. The blood draining from the visage of the captive was diluted with sweat.

Keller sighed, wiping perspiration from his own brow. He looked up from the stumps of feet and hands to the face that was unrecognizable as anything but mince meat. He had long since ceased repeating the question, “It seems you’ve left me no choice. I honor your resilience in this.” Lifting the knife, he aimed it at the captive’s eye. He brought it forward slowly, very slowly. The captive jerked his head backward to place as much distance between himself and the blade. Keller centered it directly on the slitted pupil, as if a bullseye. The point lingered a centimeter from the quivering target.

“There is a cave!” A gruff, growling voice crawled painstakingly from the captive’s lungs.

Keller immediately brought the knife backward, slamming his hands atop the captive’s arms and bringing his face close, “Where!”

“Beyond the mountains to the south! Before the mountains south of those! There is a cave that leads to the stronghold!”

Aethlwulf jumped from his seat, “We have it!”

Keller drove the knife into the knee of his captive, shouting above the screams, “Lies! That cave is filled with nothing but monsters! You aim to send us all to our deaths!”

Terror struck the captives face, he was no doubt questioning the omniscience of his torturer.

Keller roughly pulled the blade from his leg and drove the bleeding edge toward the slitted pupil again, “Where is the entrance!”

“The chasm! The chasm! At the chasm’s beginning, between the mountains there is a hidden tunnel under a bed of rocks!”

Keller turned toward Aethlwulf in remembrance, “I believe I have seen this. I was in that chasm once and I recall seeing something of what he speaks at the foot of it’s cliff.”

“You are a fine man, Mr. Keller.”

The captive Myrk declared above their musings, “It will do you nor your alfar masters any good, manslave !” He twisted his mangled head toward Aethlwulf, “We will not stop! You may kill our kin! You may cast us from our homes into the belly of the earth! But we will not stop until we have avenged the young who lie buried under your villages! Avenged the cries of those long dead who begged only for mercy! We will not stop until we have reclaimed what was taken from the Myrkalfar!”

Keller stepped back in horror. His thoughts swirling and colliding with each other. While he was frozen in shock, Aethlwulf drew the pistol from his holster, thrust it against the Myrk’s forehead, and pulled the trigger. Thunder shook the whole of the world, as if the gunblast had come from the heavens itself. A great explosion and a burst of light lit the whole of the cottage. The Myrkalfar’s head shot backward and hung limp, blood draining from holes at the top and bottom. Heavy objects thudded on the roof and flaming masses fell from the sky outside the windows.

A voice cried from without, “Stop! Stop!” Aevery threw herself within the cottage and recoiled in horror at the carved mass of flesh still tied to the chair, “What have you done!”

Keller spun round, “You didn’t tell me!”

“You have damned us all!”

“You have damned me!”

Aevery drove back out of the cottage, Keller and Aethlwulf quick at her heels. They were halted by their own shock just outside the door, Aevery’s hair flailing violently in the rain a few steps from them. The great oak in the center of the village was aflame, split down the middle. Hulking limbs and masses of refuse were torn asunder and cast flaming across the village from the lightning strike that had devastated the natural monument.

The alfar men that remained of their small troop ran here and there, attempting to put out persistent fires that yielded not even for the monsoon. Some of these wooden comets undulated strangely in the distance. Keller then realized the lands below the hill were flooded by the storm. He watched the burning planks drift away with the wind into the forest beyond.

He then called to Aevery, “You all lied to me!” He cried above the maelstrom, “He called himself ‘Myrkalfar’! What does this mean? Are the Myrk your kin? Do we war against your? own brethren?”

She spun to face him, “We owe no explanation to one such as you! Your violence, your destructive nature has cost us everything!”

“I wished only to be left alone! Yet you dragged me into another race war! I wanted no part in this!”

“And yet, after one taste of blood, you drove us full force to our doom! Will you truly strip yourself of all blame!”

Keller shook his head, still processing all that was occuring, “I thought I had stepped into a land different from my own.”

Aethlwulf pulled them away from their shouts, “Ael! We now know the location of the Myrk stronghold! We have only to launch one final assault and the alfar will be saved!”

Aevery approached him, “No, Aethlwulf! If we were to do that the alfar would be lost.”

“We cannot stop now! We are so close to ending this!”

“Can you not see what this man’s dangerous nature has done to us? To our home?”

“He is our ally! I see what you saw in him-!”  
“I was mistaken!”

Aethlwulf lay a hand on Keller’s shoulder, “We must finish this, Moses. We have no choice. The Myrk will end all our lives. Whether they are alfar or not, they are the aggressors.”

Keller breathed in deep contemplation.

Aevery moved between them, “Aethlwulf, we must stop this! It must end now!”

“We are too close, ael.”

Aevery spun to face Keller, “Mr. Keller, you want to part in this! You can turn and go now! Leave the alfar to tend to the land!”

Keller’s gaze moved past her to see Aethlwulf staring back with conviction, “We have only this one last task, Aevery. Once it is done, we can find a way to use my power to repair the land.”

She swung her arms wide, “You have no power!”

Keller’s eyebrows raised, “What do you mean?”

“I know what power you held that brought the village back to life!”

“What?”  
Her contorted face glowed red in the firelight, “Repentance!”  
Keller did not understand.

“You slaughtered the whole of the village!” Keller lurched back in horror at her words, “You murdered them all and sought reconciliation! All the love the alfar have in tending to the homes of their lost families counts for nothing next to one who seeks to amend for the crime they committed, but that is lost now!”

He took a step closer to her and she stepped back, “Aevery, I promise you once this is done and the Myrk are defeated I will seek atonement, we will be able to revert the land to its natural state.”

“You do not understand. Your pitiful cries for mercy will be for naught if you know you do wrong and do it anyway.”

Keller then held his head high, “I cannot do nothing.”

Aethlwulf moved beside them, “He is right, ael. We cannot allow the Myrk threat to remain.”

Aevery turned to her second in command, “Aethlwulf, stop this. There are other solutions! We must return to Caer Nouveau and devise a new plan. We could form a peace treaty!”

“You know the Myrk cannot listen to reason. They know only war and suffering. Their death is all that will end this hell.”

Aevery stepped away from them, “I was wrong… we were all wrong. I will have no more part of it.” She turned and began walking toward the mounts stabled in a cottage at the end of the village.

Keller called after her, “Your father’s way would have been the death of us all!”

Aevery spun around again, “My father did not know the way! And neither do you! I cannot stop you from walking this damned path, but I will find my own beside my people!”

She vanished into the storm, leaving the alfar and the man standing atop the hill while chaos rained from the skies and the deep rose up to consume the earth.


	37. Chapter 37

XXXVII.

Keller lowered his eyes before Aethlwulf, “I would understand if you would not have me be a part of assaulting the Myrkalfar stronghold, now that you know of my actions.”

Aethwulf rest a hand on his shoulder, “You were in a strange land and faced many dangers. I do not fault you for assuming our people would be hostile as well. It sickens me, what happened, but you have more than proven your dedication to the alfar.”

“The Ljosalfar.”

Aethlwulf’s face turned grim, “Yes, that is a conversation for another time.”

All the fires had been extinguished, though embers still shone within the crevasse and ridges of the great oak. The night was supremely dark and from the vague firelight of the cottage behind them, they saw the remaining troops approaching.

Calean stood in the forefront, “Where is ael Aevery?”

“She has departed. Returned to Caer Nouveau. She believes the upcoming battle a foolish gambit and wishes to return to our people. Any of you are welcome to follow her if you wish.”

The alfar stood silent and still in the darkness and the downpour. Dim firelight quivered across their garments, as if they were at risk of vanishing into the night. Aethlwulf then gestured them all to return to the shelter of the cottage. Most of them gasped and wretched at the fetid corpse tied to the chair.

“This,” Aethlwulf addressed them, “Is the cost of what knowledge we gained. Remember it always.”

Each alfar, one by one, approached the corpse, drew a sheathed blade, and held it below the still dripping skull. A single drop alighted on each blade, which was then wiped upon blood red sashes. Aethlwulf himself took his sash from its resting place on his chair, now a pale pink from the water that had rinsed upon it, and wrapped it about himself. The blood wiped on it left a bold streak, out of place on the pale cloth.

They then took the corpse and buried it just outside. All sat around the fire for a time, battling with the memories of the past day in silence. One by one they found comfortable spots to rest about the cottage, all but Aethlwulf who sat before the fire, staring at the sash at his hip, and the red streak upon it.

Keller was shaken awake in his chair. The fire was quite low and the cottage was sunk in almost complete darkness. The maelstrom has stopped but heavy drops of rain still struck the roof. The cottage was empty aside from him and the alfar who roused him.

He stood quickly before Caelen, “What is it? Is there danger? Where is Aethlwulf?”

“Calm yourself.” Caelen approached the doorway, “Aethlwulf and the others have prepared the mounts. We are to set off.”

“I thought we were to leave in the morning?” Keller observed the blackness within the window frames.

“It is morning.” Caelen walked into the invisible rain.

Keller followed after him, his eyes adjust slightly to the almost complete darkness and he was able to find the mounts. The alfar assisted him in finding his.

Aethlwulf’s voice called from somewhere in front of him, “Men do not see as well as we do in darkness. Apothecary Benton, would you guide Mr. Keller’s mount as we travel?”

A hand reached from the darkness and stroked the wet neck feathers of Keller’s mount, a whisper came from the origin of the hand, “Hopefully you will be of some use on the journey ahead.”

The rode forth across the village hill toward the south. Keller awaited the moment where he would completely lose his sense of direction. The feathered creature rode quite faithfully in line with the sound of patting paws beside him.

As the village hill reached its end, feathered legs began moving through water ahead of him. He wondered how deep the water was and how they would be able to proceed were it too deep to traverse. Just then, a voice called out far off to their left, “Ho there! Is that Aethlwulf and his troops I see?”

“Quellette!” Aethlwulf’s voice sounded from ahead, “What are you doing out here on this miserable day?”

“We are reinforcements for the battle ahead! Caer Nouveau’s elders nearly did not let us depart to aid you, given the horror that has stricken the city…”

“What horror?”

Shouting was no longer necessary and dozens of paws trodded the earth toward them.

“A plague struck just after you left. The alfar are dying.”

“It cannot be…”

“Unfortunately, it is. This only emboldened these soldiers and I to depart and help end the Myrk threat as quickly as possible. Only then will the horrors brought upon us stop.”

“How many strong are you?”

“Only six. Many of the other soldiers have fallen ill or wished to stay with their sick relatives.”

“Not much in the way of reinforcements…”

“No, but reinforcements nonetheless. We can only hope the Myrk have faced the same plight. Besides, the journey should be free from attack, since their mounts cannot move through the floodwaters. Have you found the location of their stronghold?”

“We have. At great cost.”

“Everything in war comes at a great cost. I see you head south. We shall fall in line.”

The group of six seamlessly integrated itself with Aethlwulf’s band, most forming at the back, and one, presumably Quellette, moving to the front where Aethlwulf rode. They moved drove forth into the mire, water gently parting from the legs of the feathered mounts. Based on the sound, Keller guessed the flood was a little under a meter deep, as the mounts were slowed, but his hanging feet remained dry. He wondered where they would sleep when night fell.

Quellette and Aethlwulf continued their discussion, Quellette beginning, “We crossed ael Aevery on our way here.”

“Did you? And what did she have to say?”

“She recommended we turn back, but of course gave us our choice as you may have guessed. She also asked about Caer Nouveau. When we told her of the possibility of an oncoming plague, she hurried off.”

“Her sense of duty to the alfar is most admirable.”

“Indeed. But I ask you, Aethlwulf, why did she want us to turn back?”

“I cannot lie, we have had to commit heinous acts to garner the information about the Myrk stronghold. But as you said, everything in war comes at a great cost. Our acts no doubt had a part to play in the flood. But all will be made well again once the Myrk are defeated.”

“I have no doubt myself. I am with you, ael.”

They continued on talking for a time while Keller’s thoughts drifted. A dread sank into his stomach when he thought of the trench they would have to descend into. He did not know the lay of the land, but he feared the entire chasm may be flooded, and entering the stronghold would be impossible. Stilling himself, he focused on the task at hand, that possibility would be dealt with if it became a reality.

The feathered mounts moved gracefully through the waters. As time moved on and hours passed, the darkness loomed, but the water level seemed to be gradually decreasing, they must have been moving at a slight incline. The party ate their sopping rations while they rode on, fruits and nuts already beginning to rot.

After an endless stretch of time travelling through the darkness, catching on hanging branches and moving around drowned thickets, Aethlwulf called for them to rest for the night. Just as Keller wondered how this would be accomplished, he was prompted to reach upward and found a sturdy branch to grab hold of. Hoisting himself up, he found the most comfortable spot he could, which was not very comfortable at all, and tried to rest.

Just then the waters splashed and a light wind shot through his hair. His eyes struggled through the black to make out the faint outline of one of the feathered mounts, lounging gracefully among the branches of the tree beside him. These were truly wondrous creatures. As sleep evaded him, his mind wandered to Aevery’s warning. Would their course lead to the destruction of this entire land? Would there be no going back? In the face of extinction he saw little choice in the matter. In any case, Aethlwulf and his band would travel on without him if he were to refuse to continue. Then there would be no hope of survival.

Matthew. Where was he now? Wandering through the waters of this drowned land, unable to find a place to rest? Dead and buried beneath a shallow, tideless ocean? Keller feared for his friend. Perhaps he should have gone with him. But Matthew had chosen his own path and for good or ill, he had to respect it.

Keller leapt up from his branch, startled by the noise of the alfar climbing down to rejoin their mounts. He could not tell whether he had fallen asleep at any time during the night. Alighting from the treetop, he found his feathered mount patiently waiting for him just below, and they rode on.

The darkness surrounded what he presumed was the morning, just as the day before. He had been in this wood before and faced similar darkness. It made him wonder whether the sun might be shining beyond the trees, or whether this day was just as the last, coated in a bitter void. The swirling and splashing of the waters below became more raucous as the day drove on, leading him to assume the floodwaters hardly covered the mounts paws. They were obviously moving to higher ground. Perhaps this would mean the trench was not flooded.

Shortly after their first meal, which depleted almost the entirety of the rotting rations, the stirring of the waters and swishing of branches they passed began to echo more loudly through the wood. Keller’s breathing, and the breathing of all the alfar about him, seemed to scream through the forest as if everything about them were being silenced. He could hardly decide what noises were missing now that made these seem so much louder. Nonetheless, the whole of the forest had become deaf. He knew something was about them.

The alfar drew their swords as a low growl echoed from his left. Before he could call out warning a massive form leapt into him. He was thrown from his mount, tumbling to the earth as the form past over him and wrought horrid screams from the rider that was beside him. Swinging swords and the stamping and splashing of paws, shouting alfar and deafening barks rose up about him. The barks were low and guttural, surrounding the troop in every direction.

His mount encircled his form on the ground with its four legs, guarding him, making it difficult for him to rise. Water flowed back and forth across his prostrate form, slapping his face and returning him to the moment. He climbed up the side of the mount with slippery hands. Regaining the saddle, he drew the automatic rifle strapped to its side and aimed it out into the wood, toward the barking. The first shot flew aimlessly into no man’s land and each subsequent shot was aimed where the beasts had been seen in the muzzle flare before. The beasts squealed and stumbled in the onslaught and before one clip had been emptied, the frantic splashing of paws had withered into the trees.  
“What sort of weapon is that!” Quellette spoke from behind him, “It makes such racket!”

Aethlwulf’s voice came next, “They are arms invented by the men of his land. Quite useless, until now.”

“Lovely.” Quellette’s feet splashed in the waters, “How many were lost?”

An alfar responded, “Two, by my count, ael.”

“Then it is thirteen of us who move forward. God save us. Bury them quickly.” Quellette said, “We must be off.”

The floodwaters churned and roiled as the graves were dug and a short time later they rode on. An eternity of night swept forth from Keller and the invisible day dragged mercilessly. Suddenly he noticed the sound of paws squelching in wet earth. They had emerged from the floodwaters and there was hope the chasm would be navigable. 

A gray light then appeared on the horizon. It was barely visible, quivering between what must be branches and trunks of trees, but Keller refused to believe his eyes deceived him. The drifting light grew larger until they emerged into a dreary and darkly gray daylight on the path between the cavern and the mountain that his troop had taken months prior. They stopped at the edge.

“I have been through here before,” the alfar looked toward Keller, “We let down a rope a bit farther down the pass that we can use to climb down.

The alfar laughed in unison. Keller’s brow furrowed and his face grew hot. Quellette peered into the chasm, “There is water below. How deep do you think it is?”

“By the looks of it,” Aethlwulf moved his mount beside Quellette’s, “very shallow. The trunks can be seen widening above the water. Let’s move.”

Before Keller had a chance to question them, the feathered mounts charge in unison and leapt into the open air. He gripped white hands about the creature’s neck but soon realized they fell quite slowly through the air. Feathers gently fluttered in the wind and he watched as the walls of the chasm rose up gently above them, then all was again shrouded by the trees. There was no shock as the mount gently landed upon the earth. He heard soft splashing all around him as the alfar landed gracefully as well.

They rode forward into a clearing where not but the bones of a long dead behemoth rose shimmering white above the waters, picked clean.

Aethlwulf spat, “Wretched Myrk, to kill such a beautiful creature. Do you think they lured it off the cliff?”

Before Quellette could respond, Keller rode up, “It was my men and I. An accident. Or a mistake I should say. One of many.”

He could feel the eyes of the alfar at his back. Breath came heavy upon his lungs. Aethlwulf’s voice shot through the silence.

“Where is this tunnel you saw when you last passed through here?”

Keller turned toward the cliffside off to his right, “We climbed down on that side. The rope we used may still be there. The tunnel is quite close to it.”

The party rode West and soon one of the alfar spotted the rope, tattered in a heap upon the tumbling rocks at the bottom of the cliffs.

Aethlwulf turned to Keller again, “Can you find it?”

Keller dismounted into the ankle deep flood waters. Wave preceded his footsteps as he moved toward the cliff. Peering about the rocky slopes, a patch of darkness caught his eye amongst the already present gloom, “There.” He pointed.

The twelve alfar dismounted and stood behind him. Aethlwulf clapped a hand on his back, “Good eye, for a man. It seems almost to be an illusion.”

They moved toward the sloping rocks and as they approached a divide appeared. It widened and they found themselves walking around a corner into an opening coarsely carved to create a tunnel that immediately plunged into blackness upon reaching the cliff’s edge.

“It is too dark in there to see,” Aethlwulf said, “Bring out torches.”

A few alfar ran back to the mounts, patiently waiting. Keller spun to face Aethlwulf, “You had torches all along? I have been riding through complete darkness for days!”

Aethlwulf smiled, “And you made it through just fine with our guidance. We did not want to waste them on already feeble eyes.”

The torches were lit and the party descended into the depths of the tunnel. The ceiling was low and it was just wide enough for two to walk side by side. Their steps were cautious and slow. None, especially Keller, wished to guess what awaited them on the other side.


	38. Chapter 38

XXXVIII.

The party travelled through the blackness of the tunnel for hours. Several torches had been exhausted and their boots were soaked through as the waters pervaded their trek. Keller often looked down at the black liquid beneath him, reflecting his own quivering face looking up from below, pondering whatever inevitable end awaited them.

A question stirred in his mind. He must have an answer, “Aethlwulf.”

“It would behove us not to speak. We do not know what dangers lurk ahead.”

“I understand and agree. But I feel I lack information I am due to properly assess this situation.”

Aethwulf walked on in silence for a time, “You are right, of course. Please be brief and speak low.”

“What is the Ljosalfar’s relation to the Myrkalfar?”

“We do not call them alfar anymore. They are not worthy of the name. We have warred almost since the dawn of our species. The Ljosalfar define themselves by love and respect of the land and all its creatures, including ourselves. The Myrk have love only for wealth and power. It is said the first war began when the Ljosalfar sought to end the Myrk’s abuse of the land as they reached for this goal. Long ago we drove them out of the world into the depths of the earth. They have remained there but have always sent out raiding parties and sometimes armies to destroy everything the Ljosalfar hold dear. They saw what we did as a betrayal of our brotherhood. It was, in fact, the only way to deliver this world from their destruction.”

“The Myrk we held captive did certainly seem to see it in a different light. I have been involved in race wars before. Have you ever considered that you may be wrong?”

“Are you about to propose Aevery’s peace treaty? You have encountered the Myrk on several occasions. Do you think them capable of such civility?”

“I honestly cannot say one way or another.” Keller gazed into the darkness, “I have been so very wrong in the past. I simply can’t help but doubt even my strongest convictions.”

An alfar called from the back, “The man is right, you know.”

Aethlwulf shook his head, “Delen, I refuse to hear more of your foolish arguments.”

Delen did not falter, “The Myrk are our brothers. It is wrong to slaughter them. The least we can do is attempt a treaty!”

“Lower your voice.” Aethlwulf’s tone was aggressive, “We go into the heart of the abyss. Pain and death await us and any who lack conviction will be the first to fall.”  
Delen continued, “Pain and death are all that await our journey’s end if we follow this path. The land will not forgive what you or any of us do here.”

Aethlwulf’s face contorted in fury. He halted his steps and spun backward, fingers gripping his blade. Keller gripped his arm, causing him to pause. Time seemed to grow still. The man and the alfar looked into each others eyes. The alfar’s gaze possessed only confusion and rage. The man’s only understanding. Keller shook his head slowly. Aethlwulf’s fingers released his sword, he faced forward once again, and they continued through the tunnel.

Keller strode into the darkness, eyes darting around aimlessly. He tried to make sense of what had just happened, of what he had just done. An immense terror overcame him. Red lights flickered deep in the darkness. The torches of the alfar were extinguished. As they approached the dancing light at the tunnels end, Keller feared not what would become of him once he reached it, he feared what would become of those who awaited him.


	39. Chapter 39

XXXIX.

At the end of the tunnel was a stone door alight with wall sconces on either side. Unlike the coarsely cut tunnel, the door was covered all over with intricate markings, symbols and decorations that were immediately beautiful to the eye. Keller soon noticed there was nothing but these markings. No knob, handle, or keyhole was visible.

Aethlwulf lay his hands on the door and felt about it. He pushed it for a brief moment then stood back quickly, possibly feeling a fool.

“Damn it all.” Quellette approached the door, hands on his hips, eyes glazing over every knook.

“We don’t have time for delay.” Aethlwulf said, “Perhaps if we all push at once?”

“Or perhaps there is an invisible keyhole?” Quellette returned.

Delen pushed past the alfar from the back, “Have you all forgotten the old stories?” He stood before the door and in a gentle voice, “ Ami .”

The door immediately descended into the tunnel floor. The porthole opened into a wide room with many stone tables in the center, littered with food and earthenware dishes, and stone slabs around the walls covered in sheets and cushions. The room was entirely empty, the only movement that of shadows dancing in the firelight of sconces. Off to the left and right were rooms where could be seen a multitude of armaments, axes, slings, and spears.

Aethlwulf strode cautiously toward the middle of the room, looking about, “It seems to be a barracks.”

Quellette grabbed a slice of cooked meat off a plate and bit into it, “Then where are the soldiers?”

The whole of the room shook violently and a rumbling cascaded through the air. Keller was thrown to his hands and knees while the alfar seemed unhindered. He stood quickly. The two lead alfar looked at each other concerned. Suddenly, a group of Myrk ran frantically past the doorway opposite the tunnel.

The alfar and Keller drew swords and approached the doorway. Aethlwulf, Quellette and Keller were the first to leap into the hallway and found also vacant. Their arms lowered in confusion just before the earth shook again. With effort, Keller was able to keep his balance this time. From around the corner to their right, several Myrk came running. They wore no armor nor bore any weapons. The rags draped about their bodies flew behind them as they ran directly past the armed invaders without giving them a second glance.

Aethlwulf motioned the other alfar out of the barracks, “I cannot tell whether this bodes well or ill. The Myrk flee for their lives in their own home.”

Quellette turned his head down both stretches of the corridor, “The only question is, which way to go? Presumably the direction they run is the exit, while the direction they come from…”

“Is where our quest lies.” Aethlwulf raised his sword and marched down the hall, the alfar and Keller quick at his heels.

The party rushed, swords drawn, through finely gilded halls and rooms decorated with masterful stonework. All the while groups of Myrk periodically rushed past them, some with weapons, many without, some with arms full of belongings, many empty handed, all paying no heed to the intruders. Many times the subterranean city shook about them, sending Keller stumbling, but the alfar never faltered. 

After several minutes they drove from a hallway into a massive chamber imperfectly lit by torchlight. The sconces that existed were mounted a dozen meters up the walls far to either side and drove far off into darkness. The ceiling was a black abyss and the floor beneath them was as well.

Aethlwulf lit a torch, “Watch your step.”

Keller looked down as the party moved on. The floor beneath him was reflective but its waves and grooves made his image imperfect, like the black waters of the tunnel. Suddenly the disfigured doppelganger upon the floor vanished and Keller’s boot found only air. He hardly had time to throw his arms before him or let out a cry when powerful fingers gripped his jerkin and pulled him back.

The thirteen soldiers stood at the edge of the chasm peering into it.

“What do you think it is for?” Quellette stood beside Keller, a hand still on is back.

Aethlwulf shook his head.

Keller drew his pistol and released a single bullet from the chamber. He tossed it into the abyss.

The party waited.

No response came from the great hole.

The same hand gripped his jerkin again as the ground thrust back and forth beneath their feet. Even the alfar struggled to remain upright. Most dropped backward to the safety of the reflective floor. Caelen tumbled over the edge and was swiftly caught by another soldier. Once the rumbling ceased, they lay in silence for a moment.

“What were the Myrk running from?” Quellette asked.

“It does not matter.” Aethlwulf rose to his feet, “The seat of their empire is beyond this hall. Whatever awaits us there will end the plight on the land. We must find a way around this pit.”  
He raised the still burning torch and moved left across the abyss. They sood found the massive opening was circular, though it was so wide and the room so dark that it did not appear so from one spot. As they traversed its rim, they came closer to the wall. A small pathway skirted its edge beside the pit and Aethlwulf’s torch cast a gentle illumination upon it.

“Wait!” Delen ran to the wall and felt its surface. It was covered with runes and graven images, “This may tell us something. It seems to be a tale of the Myrk’s history!”

“The past cannot help us now.” Aethlwulf began walking again, “Besides, the Myrk tell only lies of the past. This mural can grant no wisdom.”

Delen frantically read the wall as Aethlwulf’s dim light faded away, “God is below…”

Aethlwulf stopped in his tracks and slowly turned toward the group behind him, casting more light upon the wall.

Delen read, “God is below. We were cast out, and God sheltered us. We were slaughtered, and God saved us. The holy land awaits in the darkness and we shall all come to him one day. All that God asks is that we send the fruit of our womb, the worthy among us, to the holy land to live in peace once each day. God bears us, the disgraced, to live in glory and we are not to refuse God. For if we do, God’s righteous fury will be cast upon the whole of the land. Darkness will end, and we will all be consumed in the great light of eternal fire.”

“None sense.” Aethlwulf’s torch quivered subtly, “There is no god here.”

Quellette kept his eyes on Delen, “Does it say more?”

“There is a lot about the Ljosalfar driving them from their lands and more proselytizing but not much of note. And this.” Delen pointed above the writings on the wall to a detailed carving. 

Aethlwulf raised his torch to it. Keller moved through the alfar gazing at the image to have a closer look. The mural depicted a Myrk in robes, arms outstretched, an infant slipping from his fingers into a bottomless pit.

The chamber shook again and the edge of the pit below Delen’s feet broke away, falling into nothingness. The alfar’s fingers strained against a corner of rock as he struggled to keep hold for the rumbling earth.

A soldier helped him rise as Aethlwulf aimed his torch toward the other side of the chamber, “We must keep moving.”

As they moved toward the other side of the chamber, past the circular pit, Keller moved up beside Aethlwulf, “These halls seem like they will collapse at any minute. Why do we move deeper when all the Myrk are abandoning their home?”

“If their king is any king at all, he will not abandon his kingdom while it crumbles. He will be coordinating the evacuation effort from his throne. And his throne must be as deep as these halls go.”

“What if that’s not true?”

“Then we must begin praying.”

The party exited through a massive engraved porthole several meters wide and even more meters high. They found themselves in another large hallway that stretched left and right. A lone Myrk ran recklessly in their direction from the left. As he was about to pass them, Aethlwulf moved out and grabbed him by the collar. The Myrk lost his balance and fell onto his back, whimpering.

Aethlwulf knelt and came very close to the Myrk’s face, “Why does everyone flee?”

The Myrk’s eyes were wide with horror and his head shook from side to side, “I...I…”

Aethlwulf shook him and repeated the question.

“The high priest died in a cave in! There is no one to perform the sacrifice! The God below will destroy us all and everything in the world!”

Aethlwulf stood, “Then what is the point of running?”

The Myrk shook his head a few more times, unable to answer. Then he curled into a ball and babbled tearful words to himself.

“Where is your king?”

The Myrk gave no response but continued to despair.

Aethlwulf placed a firm boot upon the Myrk’s head, “Where is your king!”

The Myrk cried out and aimed a finger down the hallway where he came from.

Aethlwulf raised his sword again and the party follow him down the hallway. The stone around them rumbled violently every few moments as they moved forward. Dust and small rocks fell upon their shoulders and dirtied their hair. 

The hallway came to an end ahead and portholes led to rooms on every side. A small porthole off to the left shone a bright light upon the floor. A pitch black porthold straight ahead led seemingly into nothingness. To the right end of the hallway was a massive porthole as large as that of the chamber they had come from.

They faced it and saw a torch filled passage whose immense openness drove on for hundreds of meters to the tiny speck of a dais in the distance, risen a dozen feet above the floor with a staircase that lead to a stone chair large enough to seat a giant. Specks of alfar stood around the dais and one barely visible in the throne. The black specs that stood still Keller discerned to be Myrk guards wearing their armor. There were many of these. Other specks covered in various other colors paced frantically about the dais and could be heard calling toward the speck at its summit.

While the Ljosalfar stared with conviction into the grand hall, another sound reached Keller’s ears. From the blackened doorway at the end of the hall came stifled cries and sobs. He turned to look into its darkness for a moment, then approached.

Aethlwulf reached for his arm as he wandered past but Keller slipped through his grasp. The alfar general posed a question to him but he did not hear it. Keller stood before the darkness. His nose just touching its black reaches, looking into nothing. Then he walked forward.

His eyes struggled to adjust to the light but the cries and sobs were about him now and shapes formed vaguely all around him. Aethlwulf then entered the room and held his torch aloft. Keller’s heart plunged. On shoddy stone benches, rough beds, chamber pots and at cracked tables sat hundreds of Myrk. All of them women. All of them dressed in rags and covered in filth. Many holding infants in their arms. All pregnant.

The younger ones shielded their eyes from the dim torchlight. The older had no reaction whatsoever. Keller held his hand over his mouth and resisted the urge to vomit. It was then that he noticed another room at the end of this one. He moved past the sobbing women who shrank away from him. An empty air came from the room beyond, as if Keller could feel some sort of void within. The noises from the room he walked through seemed suppressed by the utter silence of the one beyond. Its furthest reaches glimmered as Aethlwulf’s torch moved closer behind him.

He stepped inside. The glimmer was from the bars of cages that lined the room. Keller could hear nothing now. The cages were completely vacant aside from dirt, piles of dried feces and patches of blood. And one other thing.

He moved to a cage in the corner and opened its unlatched door. Within an object lay on the floor. A messy tangle of roots with drapings of leaves. A shimmering rock embedded in its rounded top. It was a doll.

Keller gripped the ragged thing in his fingers and fell against the side of the cage. He curled up into himself. A cry leapt from him and tears poured from his eyes. He shook and the doll shook in his fingers. He gripped it tighter to be sure it would not drop. His mind was fixed upon a moment in his past. A moment where he had lead many children into the walls of a prison and watched their eyes wander back to him as the doors closed on them forever.

A hand touched his shoulder. He flailed, batting it away. It alighted upon him again and he moved to cast it off again. But the ground shook. Keller tumbled from his position, opening his eyes to find himself on his hands and knees, looking down at the doll while droplets of water dashed upon its roots. He wiped his eyes, then looked up at Aethlwulf.

“We are almost finished.” Tears stained his cheeks as well.

Keller dragged himself on his knees and gripped the ends of Aethlwulf’s jerkin with both hands, “Aethlwulf, we must stop this. There must be another way.”

The back of the alfar’s hand met Keller’s cheek, “Pull yourself together, man! Your doubt will be the death of us all! If we do not end this now, if we do not stop the Myrk at this moment, all we have sacrificed is forfeit!”

“It is already forfeit.”

Aethlwulf gripped him by his collar, lifted him to his feet and shook him, “Are you with us or not! Will you stay here and rot rather than help us to victory?”

Keller had a moment of clarity. He pondered his options and found he had none. Wiping his eyes again, he reached down, picked up the ragged doll and placed it in his pack, “Let’s move out then.”

The two drove quickly through the room where the women sobbed. From the light of the grand hall they could see the other alfar standing in wait for them. Aethlwulf did not halt to stand of ceremony but threw down the torch, drew his sword, and led the party quick at his heels past immense pillars and flickering lights toward the dais and the throne.


	40. Chapter 40

XL.

As the troop of Ljosalfar and Keller came closer to the throne, the black specks of the guards grew larger and formed around the dais, blocking the path. The figure upon the throne grew in clarity and Keller found it to be a female Myrk, bearing no armor, scowling at the approaching band.

Her voice echoed through the hall, “Why have you come here?”

Aethlwulf’s only response was to plunge his blade into the nearest Myrk guard. Keller could not bring himself to participate in the slaughter. Axes raised, sword swung, Myrk fell in droves and the Ljosalfar fell to their deaths one by one. Keller kept his eyes upon the female in the chair whose brow twitched with worry as the battle fell away from her side. She rose and turned to run behind the throne.

On instinct, Keller drew his pistol, aimed and fired a bullet that struck the ruler in the shoulder. She stumbled for a moment, then vanished past the chair. The bullet startled the remaining Myrk guards and the six alfar that remained cut them down in a moment. 

Aethlwulf spun toward Keller, “Where did that wretch go!”

“Behind the throne!”

The seven soldiers charged up the steps, passed the seat and found an opening in the floor from a stone that had been moved aside. An earthen pathway could be seen two meters below. They leapt in one by one, first Aethlwulf, then Keller, then Quellette and the rest. The pathway wound on in a relatively straight line which was eventually obscured by curving walls.

Aethlwulf held up his and for silence. Far in the distance, rapid yet unsynchronized footsteps called to Keller’s ears. They ran on down the passage, spinning around corners, careless of what they might encounter. Their only goal to reach the fleeing Myrk. “And what then?” Keller thought.

Upon coming around a bend, they found a stooped silhouette hobbling toward a beam of light at the end of the tunnel. The silhouette moved into the light and stopped, standing straight. The form hazy from the bright sunlight beyond. 

Aethwulf slowed the group as they moved closer, “Be prepared for an ambush.”

The alfar general emerged into the sunlight ahead of Keller, who then saw his sword arm drop to his side. Keller could not make sense of this. He lifted his arm to shield his eyes and emerged into daylight. Before him was a sight indescribable.

The whole world burned. He looked East, toward the forest and the chasm below and the mountains beyond. The woods stretched north as far as the eye could see and all that was once green now raged orange and red. Fire spreading to eternity. Smoke blackened the sky and burned their eyes. The heat was unbearable.

A firm boot threw the Myrk ruler to the earth and its owner, Quellette, held it firmly upon her chest, “Their god has done this!”

Keller and Aethlwulf leapt back, startled, thrown from their dazed horror. Quellette raised his sword, aiming it down at the female Myrk.

“No!” Aethlwulf cried.

Quellette turned his head, looking puzzled, “We must kill her! That will end all this!”

“I do not believe in any god below! This is not their doing!” Aethlwulf looked out toward the blazing forest again, “It is ours.”

Quellette did not remove his boot from the Myrk, “How can you see it that way? Look at this! Do you think any action we take could cause this destruction?”

“I fear your friend may be right.” The Myrk’s eyes held on Quellette, she did not attempt to resist his foothold.

“I will hear nothing from you!”

She cut off his final words, “The ground quakes day and night, whether a sacrifice is made or not. And no sacrifice has been made in three days. Yet the ground still quakes as it did. And the pit is silent.”

“This does not matter!” Quellette pleaded to Aethlwulf, “We did not come here to kill them for their god! We came here to kill them because they wish to exterminate us! They deserve to die simply for the alfar they have sacrificed!”

Aethlwulf shook his head, “That will solve nothing. But it may make the fires worse.”

“How could it be any worse! Eliminating the Myrk threat is the only way to end the cataclysm! You know this!” Aethlwulf gave no response, Quellette turned back to the Myrk female below his boot, “Well if you don’t, I do.” He raised his blade again.

Delen barrelled into him, throwing them forward toward the edge of the crag. Once they were secure in the fact that they would not fall over, Quellette threw Delen from him, “Treason! You all are mad! This is what we came here to do!”

Delen protested, “More killing will not fix this! We must find another way!”

“There is no other way!”

“Aevery found another way.” Aethlwulf looked toward his feet, “She knew what would come of our violence. We have brought only death to this land. A peace treaty may be the only thing that will save us.”

The Myrk ruler sat up, “I, and my people, have brought death to thousands of children. We have subjugated thousands more in this pursuit. All in the name of fear and hatred. Yet nothing has come of it. I would agree to a treaty for peace.”

“This is insane!” Quellette rose to his feet, “You are siding with the Myrk now!”

“I side with my ael, Aevery.” Aethlwulf stood tall.

“We cannot stop now.” Quellette raised his sword, “I will not let you damn us after all we have been through.”

Two alfar moved to stand by his side. Delen and Caelen moved beside Aethlwulf. All faced each other with weapons drawn.

Keller quickly realized what was happening and leapt between the soldiers with his arms raised, “Nothing will come of you killing each other! Please, do not do this.”

Quellette spat, “This wretched beast must be executed before any more harm can come to the land. If they will not allow this, they must fall.”

Aethlwulf responded, “I have no wish to do this, but I cannot allow this Myrk to die, lest the entire world die with her. I have no other choice.”

Keller pleaded, “There must be some sort of compromise that can be made!”

Quellette aimed his sword at Keller, “Stand aside, man. Lest you fall with them.”

Aethlwulf held out his hand to Keller, “Stand with us. You know who you side with.”

Keller stepped back to the edge of the crag, away from the standoff, “I can no longer be a part of brother killing brother.”

Aethlwulf’s outstretched hand returned to his sword hilt, “So be it.”

The six alfar charged at each other. Delen was immediately put off balance by one of Quellette’s soldiers and sent screaming over the cliffside. Caelen feinted a strike from his opponent and drove his blade into the other’s heart. Aethlwulf and Quellette locked themselves in a reckless dance, their swords singing through the air. Caelen’s head was quickly removed from his body by the other alfar who leapt toward Aethlwulf to strike him down. Aethlwulf drew his attention away from Quellette for a moment, driving his blade through the soldier’s neck who sank to the ground, sputtering blood from his lips.

This momentary distraction gave Quellette an opportunity and though Aethwulf was wildly quick, he could not prevent the other’s blade from slashing a deep gash in his side. In attempting to evade this strike, Aethlwulf lost balance and fell to the earth at the edge of the crag. Quellette kicked his sword from his hands and fell upon him, the edge of his blade aimed horizontally toward Aethlwulf’s neck. Aethlwulf gripped one hand on Quellette’s arm to gain leverage and another on the blade which cut into his palm. Despite his effort that wrought sweat from his brow, the blade drew closer and closer to his throat.

Keller’s mind tore at itself as he watched this horror. Then his inhibitions fell away. A shot rang out through the mountaintops. Blood spattered across Aethlwulf’s face and Quellette’s limp body tumbled from the crag into the fires below. Keller’s arms fell limp, the pistol dropping from his grasp to clatter on stone. Aethlwulf lay with his arms still reaching, as if paralyzed.

Keller then felt rage burn through him. He reached down, gripped the pistol, and threw it into the hazy nether beyond. He drew the automatic rifle from his back as well and tossed it from the cliff face. And there he stood, at the edge of the precipice, looking forth into fog and smoke that rose from the world aflame. And yet now he felt he could see more than he ever had in his life.


	41. Chapter 41

XLI.

Keller held out his hand to Aethlwulf who grabbed hold and raised himself up. Keller looked him in the eye, “I do know who I side with.”

Aethlwulf nodded and they turned to the Myrk female still seated upon the crag. The alfar general stood before her, “What is your name?”

She looked up at him through matted hair cast about her face, “I am the Gracious One, Claren, daughter of Josiah, Queen of the Myrkalfar.”

“And you will agree to a peace treaty?”

“I will. For the sake of all alfar. I will come with you to Caer Nouveau, but first I must tell my citizens to stand down and not attack and Ljos they find. They stand at the Northern gate.”

Aethlwulf held his hand out to her, “I am placing an enormous amount of trust in you, Queen Claren. If you betray me, I fear this war will be unending.”

Claren raised herself up by his arm and stood before him, “All that I once believed I have found to be a lie. The God below is a silent god. The Ljos seem to have mercy in their hearts.” She looked toward Keller, “Men still walk this land and speak reason as no man has been known to do. I cannot afford to presume truth any longer. If it is in my power, we will both reach Caer Nouveau unmolested.”

Aethlwulf stood silent for a moment, as if gathering his strength, “Lead us on then, to your people and then to my city.”

Keller stepped forward, “I shall not be going with you.”

Both Aethlwulf and Claren turned to him, eyebrows raised.

Keller looked to the South, through smoke, toward the plains, the forest beyond the plains and the mountains even further, “There is something I must do for myself now. I feel I know my path.”

Aethlwulf sighed, “Do what you must, I will not keep you.” He strode toward Keller arms outstretched, “Though I pray we shall meet again, my friend.”

Keller embraced him, “Only time will tell.”

Calen pointed past their feet to the edge of the crag, “There is a stairway that leads to tunnels which will bring you to a secret exit at the south side of my kingdom. It will be the easiest way for you to avoid any of my citizens that may still be… hostile.”

“Thank you, Queen Calen.” Keller bowed, though he did not know whether it was proper to bow. The two alfar returned into the tunnel where they had come, side by side, while Keller found the rocky steps at the edge of the crag.

He descended slowly, his steps cautious, his right hand grazing the mountainside, his eyes still gazing south. This journey would take him very close to vanished mountain pass he had emerged from many months ago, but he would not be visiting it. Whether the pass had opened again or was still a shear wall of earth, that life had passed. What he had left behind was no longer his home.

His journey’s end was the pool, with its cool and clear waters that had brought purpose and strength to so many alfar. And insanity to a few men. Whatever the pool had to reveal to him he would embrace its message. He would run from himself no longer.


	42. Chapter 42

THE MIRROR

XLII.

Keller emerged from the tunnels into moonlight and the foothills of the mountain. Grassy plains stretched out beneath him and the forest could be seen in the distance beyond. He removed his pack from his shoulders, ate the remainder of the rations that had not rotted, and lay back against the entrance of the tunnel to rest. In the morning the sky was hazy from the smoke of the fires behind him. He wondered if they still raged. All this smoke and fog still could not blot out the sun that shone red and warm upon him. He began walking.

His pace was leisurely throughout the day and the cool breeze enlivened him. The grasses of the plains swayed beneath and around him. He listened to their singing blades. The forest drew closer all the time but he did not watch it in anticipation. He simply observed the flow of the woodland in all directions to the mountains beyond. Keller felt at peace with their green hues and found he had all the time he wanted to reach his destination.

The next day he was within the forest. The still hazy sky was obscured by the lush branches, but yellow sunlight still drifted through the boughs toward him. The earth was soft and comfortable under his feet. Already after one full day of walking he felt no ache in his steps. Birds sang and fluttered about, unseen in the treetops, his invisible companions.

The strange blue fruit still hung from some trees. He picked one and bit into it. It was delicious. A day and a night and another day he spent wandering south through the trees. Strange animals passed him on his way. Gentle, docile creatures of all shapes and sizes, most on four legs that looked at him with wonderment, then trotted away. After noon on the second day one of the larger creatures stood off to his right on its hind legs. It was still and stared at him with wild eyes. His heart leapt. This was the first time he had felt fear since the mountain. The creature then shot like lightning into the branches above and vanished from sight and sound. 

Keller stared at the spot where the animal had been a moment ago. Beyond this point, through the scattered trees and into the distance, was a cave. The forest suddenly was more lonely than ever before. The breeze rang empty and his invisible companions made no sign of their presence. The cave stood alone in a maze of wandering branches, as if not a part of the forest itself.

He drew his eyes away and already the land seemed a brighter place. He was close. He soon found the matted path that at one end met the cave and the other drove up the mountain’s slope. 

His mind had found Matthew several times on his journey. He hoped the young man was doing well, though he was sure this brother of his was dead. With Myrk patrols, the flood, the fire, and Matthew’s own attitude toward this world, there was no way to survive. Keller realized that was what Aevery and her father had always meant when they talked about the land. If Matthew went out on his own, looking to kill and destroy for survival, all he would find is death and destruction.

Past a bend in the path, a glade of trees sat level upon the mountains side. In its center was the pool, simmering in the sunlight and rippling lightly with the wind. Keller stood before the pool, first taking the sword from his hip. He had not consciously realized it was there until this moment on his journey. He set it gently upon the earth, then began removing his clothing. When fully naked, he waded into the waters, releasing himself to whatever oblivion may come.

The water was both warm and cool to the touch, calming him, yet keeping him alert. A mist began to roll across the land. His heart pounded as he reached the center of the pool and the mist drove over him. He breathed deeply, attempting to bolster his convictions. Attempting to fully release himself, not simply in body, but mind as well. His beating heart slowed, yet would not fully calm. He decided he had done all he could to prepare himself. No, it was not about preparation. Quite the opposite. It was about freeing himself. Giving himself up to whatever may come. And he had done all he could to that end.

The mist had become so thick that Keller could hardly see the water below his chin. He took a deep breath, then thought that would probably make little difference in the end. Releasing all the air from his lungs, he closed his eyes. Then plunged beneath the surface and into the deep, forever.


	43. Chapter 43

XLIII.

Floating. Wading beneath an ocean of black. Life without breath. The abyss surrounds. It may go on forever. It may end just before the eyes. Something clatters in the distance. Footsteps. Someone approaches. Father. Walking upon the abyss. He stares forward. Surely thinking something. But speaking no words. Then father plummets. Descends into the abyss and out of sight.

Gunfire rises up from all around. There is no sign of its source. Yet the clap and bangs scream from all sides. Children are crying. People call out for mercy. Eyes close. More of the same.

Eyes open. The abyss is gone. Transformed into an ocean of white. Still wading beneath its endless reaches. Figures appear. Aethlwulf. Aevery. Aelfric. Matthew. They cross and pass by and disappear into white at the corners of the eyes. But none walk his path. His feet move below him. Ever forward into what lies beyond. What lies beyond. Not even he knows. Yet it is his path. He walks it. Step by step. Step by step. Step by step.


	44. Chapter 44

XLIV.

Keller crawled coughing and sputtering from the pool, water draining from his nose and mouth. His fingers gripped the muddy earth beneath him, hardly managing to move him forward. He rolled onto his back upon the grass and breathed deeply, coughing now and again. His eyes were open. Staring at the blue sky with wisps of clouds and green leaves between him and it.

After a while Keller stood and began putting on the pants he had lying on the earth. Just as he was reaching for his jerkin, shouts came from up the path. He shook with alarm and dived behind a nearby tree. Nothing could be seen through the wooded path toward the mountain but the shouts continued for a while. Even after they had ceased, he continued to scan the landscape for their source. Then he saw them.

From the trodden mountain path came soldiers. A large group of dozens of soldiers carrying firearms and hard faces. They wore the uniforms that he and his troop had worn upon entering this land and at their front was a man he knew well. This was a fellow Commander in the Great Leader’s army. A stoic and determined man who sought victory at any cost.

Keller’s scattered mind leapt toward the realization that they would soon find him, and he must flee. Running down the hillside away from the glade, he searched for a suitable hiding spot. He had left his pack and the rest of his clothes at the pool and there was no going back for them now. The soldiers and the Commander would find his belongings and know someone was near. They would search for him, but he must not be found. 

A tree with a dense cover of branches was just beyond. Keller clumsily scurried up into the leafy shelter and looked toward the pool. He could see nothing of it, being up the hill, but waited and listened carefully.

Though he had not heard the Commander’s voice in a long time, he remembered it as it called out, “Someone has been here! So this land is inhabited. We may be being watched! Search the area! Return anyone you find here!”

It was not long before Keller heard footsteps in the grass below. Looking down, he found the head and shoulders of a young man, searching for something… someone. Though he did not know who. Keller steadied his breath and closed his eyes to focus on making as little sound as possible. His limbs moved loosely about in the wandering branches. He should have foreseen this. He had foreseen this but had forgotten. He and his men had been gone for months, it was no surprise the Great Leader had sent out another party in search of this sacred land.

Minutes passed before the Commander called out again, “We must stay alert and assume we are being spied on! Half of us will keep watch while the other half takes a short reprieve at the pool! Once all of us have had a chance to wash up, we’ll move out!”

Keller struggled to decide what the best course of action was. These men could not be allowed to wander about this land unattended, lest the carnage they sow be as horrific as his. At the same time, Aevery and the alfar of Caer Nouveau needed to be made aware that there was a new threat in the land. And how would this threat be dealt with, he wondered? Had Aevery found a better path than war? Or a better path than inaction? Both of these had wrought horrors upon the land. Death and bloodshed unending. He did not even know whether the alfar and Caer Nouveau still existed. The fires that burned through the forest may have wiped them all out. This thought threatened to bring him to despair. He focused his thoughts on the task at hand and decided to keep watch upon the small army until a suitable time arrived to report to the alfar.

It was then that the screaming began. Terrified cries and deranged shouts mingled with the Commander’s orders and echoed throughout the forest. Keller lowered his head and struggled to steal himself against the noise, but his mind could not shut it out. He shot up again as gunfire rang across the landscape. The soldiers were firing into their own men. Keller ran his fingers through his hair. He felt light headed. There was a spot against the trunk that supported his weight and he rested upon it while composing himself.

When silence reigned again the sun was dropping low in the sky. The Commander called for the soldiers to gather their belongings and extra supplies from those fallen and move out. Dozens of soldiers still remained. Keller could hear their marching boots along the path and knew also the path ahead of them, to the cave. To an even deeper horror. He thought perhaps he could approach them and warn them of the dangers they would face. Perhaps he could teach them how to live in this world. Reveal the beauty that it had. Or perhaps they would kill him on the spot. He had abandoned the cause. Abandoned the Great Leader. The Commander would be under every obligation to torture him for information then execute him for treason. But perhaps it was worth it?

He had not decided what he would do, but he knew at the least he had to follow them. His fingers alighted him from the branches and his bare feet landed roughly upon the earth. Knees bent, Keller crept quickly parallel to the path toward the cave. As night was cast upon the land it came into view, he hid behind shrubs and trees, watching the soldiers patrol and make camp at its mouth. Some wandered even deeper inside.

He swung forward and back on his haunches, debating which direction to run. Toward the cave to warn his fellow man of the danger, or toward Caer Nouveau to warn the alfar of the danger of the men themselves? The decision was an impossible one. On the whim of a single moment, Keller swung forward to leap from the bush toward the men when a hand gripped his shoulder. 

He lost his balance, stumbling and scurrying behind a tree. An alfar knelt before him, holding a finger to his lips, “How has that troop not noticed you, traipsing around like an elephant?”

“Who are you?”

“Terien of Caer Nouveau, at your service. Aevery would very much like to know where you have got to.”

“Aevery is alive? Caer Nouveau survived the fire?”

“ Survive is a generous way of putting it. Your and Aethlwulf’s exploits have wrought true havoc. But not to worry, when I left they were still debating whether to hold you two accountable for all the deaths and Aethlwulf is putting in a mighty fine word for you. You might even make it through this with your skin.” The alfar winked.

Keller raised an eyebrow at him then returned to his view of the cave, “What happens to me isn’t my concern right now. There are bigger problems to deal with.”

“There’s another question I had,” Terien moved beside him, “are these kin of yours?”

“They are men. Men from my country. They do not know of the alfar yet, but once they do they will mean great harm.”

“You just cause all sorts of trouble don’t you?”

“Listen, I need to keep an eye on them while you get back to Caer Nouveau and warn Aevery. She needs to be aware of this threat as soon as possible.”

Terien shook his head, “You need to return to Caer Nouveau. That was my mission and I plan to complete it. I’ll keep an eye on your friends here. If they are as dangerous as you say, knowing their movements is imperative. Take my mount, he knows the way.”

Keller cocked his head, “You trust me to deliver myself to my own trial?”

“Aside from the fact that I have little choice, yes. Aevery made it clear that you have proved your loyalty to us. In addition to the fact that, as I understand it, you have nowhere else to go.” Terien winked.

Keller lay a hand on his shoulder, “Thank you. I will relay the message in all haste.”

Terien returned his gaze to the cave while Keller moved further into the trees. It was not long before a feathered mount came into view. He climbed upon its back. It immediately turned North and charged through the forest on to Keller’s chosen fate.


	45. Chapter 45

XLV.

Riding upon the feathered mount at galloping speed was no more rough than at a trot. Hardly an hour into the journey, Keller dozed off, head nestled into the neck of his four legged guide. He awoke in the morning, amazed to find they were still riding at breakneck speed. The forest had passed, the plains about them, and the mountains looming close in the distance. As they drove down the last hill toward the pass beside the chasm, Keller gazed out at the northern forest.

The trees were burnt and blackened. Most torn asunder by the fire than had raged. He worried again for the alfar of Caer Nouveau. The mount turned northeast upon entering the forest. The scope of destruction flew past Keller’s eyes with great speed, forcing him to process all of it at once. Above and beside him were the lifeless charred husks of all that once lived and thrived in the land. Below him the mounts paws sloshed through still damp earth from the receded floodwaters.

For a moment, Keller pondered how the fire could have started when all was soaking wet. He quickly gave up the notion, feeling Aevery’s explanations of the temperment of the land would have to do. This was a strange place he still did not fully understand. But he had come to love it like a home.

Evening came and went, night fell and Keller drifted to sleep again. Upon waking, he found his mount moving at a trot and the city of Caer Nouveau expanding from the horizon to meet him.

Through black wood and the frayed ends of branches, the collapsed wooden rubble of longhouses dominated the landscape. Scattered remains of homes shot up from the earth in places where logs were resting upon their fallen counterparts as if struggling to climb from the ashes. All else was coated in dead leaves, a veil to mask the fallen. There were thousands of alfar all along the pathways of the city. Some walking about to find supplies, tending to the rest who lay upon makeshift cots. The structures that remained standing were overflowing with alfar rushing in and out. Within was the smell of death and the sound of groaning and whimpers.

Ahead was the palace, its beauty defaced. At its base mold grew within the rotting wood. Its walls were perforated to make it look as a beehive from where timber had collapsed in on the structure. Keller rode inside to find not all the refuse had been cleared out and where there was not refuse, there were cots and alfar tending to those in them. Several of the cots were empty and stood alone in the bustling hall, as if repelling any who would come near. Keller stared at these the most.

He dropped from his mount, who immediately wandered out of the longhouse and vanished into the crowds outside. Keller strode carefully past the wave of alfar who weaved about him like water about a rock. At the other end of the longhouse, the crowd had left a small open space a few meters about the dais where a group of robed individuals debated heatedly. Two of these individuals were Aevery, who sat on the chair atop the dais, and Aethlwulf, who sat in a chair place at its base, facing her. Beside Aevery also stood a robed Myrk, looking rather elegant for his mottled hair. Several other robed Ljosalfar stood about Aethlwulf’s chair.

One of these alfar address Aevery, “Ael, is it really necessary to have this… ambassador present for the trial of one of our chief generals? Surely he should wait outside as this is a matter than personally concerns the alfar.”

Aevery scowled at the robed Ljosalfar, “Abassador Lovun is alfar, I’ll have you remember.”

The robed Ljosalfar stumbled over his words for a moment, “Of course, ael.”

“In addition to the fact that we have sent out our own ambassador as well. It will take time to give up our biases, I know. But there is a more important matter at hand.” Aevery’s final word fell as she noticed Keller standing in the crowd. Her gaze was incomprehensible to him, but she quickly regained her composure, “Moses Keller! You have returned! Good. This trial concerns you as well.”

Aethlwulf spun around in his seat. His eyes were both joyous and mournful. Keller stepped forward, “I will submit myself to any sentence you decide, but at this moment there are far more pressing concerns.”

Aevery’s eyes shot toward the ceiling for a moment, then once again rested on the man, “Half my people are dead by plague and fire. The other half struggle to remain among the living. What more horrors have you brought to us?”

At this, the words stuck in Keller’s throat. He feared how his news would come across, or how he may be blamed for it.

“Well?” Aevery would wait no longer.

“I…” Keller struggled, “I returned to the mountain pass Matthew and I had used to come into this world. A mountain pass that I had thought vanished forever. But on my way to it, I saw… There are more men that have come into this world,” Eyebrows raised all about him, “Men that are a part of the country I hail from. They carry our weapons. And they are almost certainly here to destroy and colonize.”

Despite the bustling hall behind him, a deafening silence fell on his ears from those he addressed. His heart pumped waves blasting through his veins that threatened to throw him to the ground.

Aevery stood, “The trial of general Aethlwulf will resume another day. I must speak to Moses Keller in private.”

The robed Ljosalfar called out in a frenzy, the loudest of which protested, “Ael! What if he means to assassinate you! How do we know he did not summon these invaders from his land? He outright admits they are his cohorts! He should be thrown in the dungeon and interrogated!”

Aevery held up her hand, “If this man wishes to kill me, he does so at his own peril. This may be the greatest threat we have ever faced and I must know of it. As for interrogation, the very subject of this trial has made me lose my stomach for it.”

A few of the Ljosalfar nodded in agreement. Aevery gave a brief glance to Keller under a furrowed brow and departed through the curtain behind the dais. Keller followed, surprised to find Ambassador Lovun close at his heels. He found Aevery out on the railless balcony, standing with her arms behind her, facing off into the dead trees. He stood a pace behind her, waiting for her to address him, knowing she could hear his heavy breaths fall.

“What did my father tell you when he brought you out here the first time you came to Caer Nouveau?”

Keller looked down and shuffled his feet, pondering how honest he should be, “He told me to find my own path. That I could… that I could complete my journey without interfering with the alfar and their conflicts. And if I did, he feared it would bring devastation.”

She nodded slowly, still glancing about the treescape before her. Then she turned to him, “What loyalty do you hold to these invaders from your land?”

“None, aside from the fact that I don’t want them to die.”

“Do you believe they could be convinced not to be a force for destruction?”

Keller thought long of his own journey, “No. They cannot be convinced by anyone. But they may realize it themselves, given the chance.”

Aevery looked off away from him again, “I admit I have not yet found the path I am looking for. My father’s way would have lead all the alfar to their death. Your way nearly did. The peace treaty with the Myrk… the Myrkalfar went well and we are mending the bonds as we speak,” Ambassador Lovun bowed low, she continued, “but many mistakes were made to bring us to this point. I do not wish to commit the same mistakes with these invaders.”

“I understand, ael.”

“I cannot condone sending troops out to slaughter these men. I also cannot lie down and allow them to kill the alfar. A middle way must be found.”

Ambassador Lovun stepped forward, “Ael Aevery, my queen must know of this threat. The Myrkalfar will wish to take action.”

“Caelen has shown great trust so far and I appreciate that. The Ljosalfar’s relationship with Mr. Keller has made this an issue that is personal to the Ljos. Once we are finished here, send word to her that I ask she avoid conflict with these invaders if possible. Caer Nouveau will resolve this problem. Peaceably, if possible. And if it becomes necessary for the Myrkalfar to get involved, we will send word.”

Ambassador Lovun bowed again and returned to his place behind Keller.

Aevery turned to him again, “Is there any knowledge you have that may inform us on how to proceed?”

“Maybe. Terien found me as I was keeping an eye on the regiment-”

“Oh, wonderful. I am glad to hear he made contact with you.”

“Certainly.” Keller continued, “He showed great trust in me as he allowed me to return here on my own while he watches the men. Perhaps when he returns with a report, we will be well enough informed on how to proceed.”

“I do not wish to rely on this contingency. Your people’s capacity for destruction seems nearly unlimited. Waiting may not be an option we have.”

Keller’s lip curled and his teeth bit together. He pushed past his thoughts to respond, “Although there are many of them, possibly more than a hundred, from what I have seen their numbers should be greatly diminished by the time they find any alfar. Our training in no way prepares us for the nature of this land. If they face many of the same threats I did, they should be hardly a force to be reckoned with once a confrontation arises.”

“I cannot trust a hope on that either. Here is what I shall do for now. I will send a party out to find and meet with Terien to watch these men and track their movements. They can then send back regular reports on their numbers and progress. In the meantime, Caer Nouveau as well as the Myrkalfar should prepare to defend themselves. The weapons of these men can be devastating without Myrk armor.”

“There is another defense that would greatly aid in keeping the citizens of Caer Nouveau alive.”

“What would that be, Mr. Keller?”

“A wall, ael.”

Aevery’s brow furrowed and she quickly turned away, back to the blackened trees, “The Ljosalfar are not like the men. We do not build walls. Neither to keep one out or hold one in. I will not accept this solution. You are both dismissed.”

Ambassador Lovun bowed again and quickly departed. Keller stood behind Aevery, pleading silently with some invisible barrier between them. He found nothing would relieve his tension. He looked off toward the charred wood for a moment, then left the Ljosalfar queen to her thoughts.


	46. Chapter 46

XLVI.

As Keller strode through the Palace porthole into the streets foaming with alfar, a hand gripped his arm. He turned to find Aethlwulf, standing there with a grim face, “It is good to see you again.”

“You too. I saw very little of your trial. What do you think the verdict will be?”

“Let us not discuss this here. Follow me.”

Aethlwulf lead him through the crowded paths to the barracks, the only structure not flowing to and fro with rushing bodies. In fact, the barracks were entirely empty. Keller presumed all the soldiers were out, tending to the wounded. Aethlwulf sat in a chair before a dead fireplace and Keller sat beside him.

“I will almost certainly be stripped of my rank.” Aethlwulf stared at the cold ashen logs, “I will still be able to serve. The alfar cannot do without my skills, especially in these times, but it will not be as general.”

“I’m honestly shocked we won’t be executed or imprisoned.”

Aethlwulf turned in his chair to look directly at his companion, “You returned here even expecting that to be the outcome?” Keller could only stare back. Aethlwulf’s gaze returned to the fireplace, “Your loyalty truly knows no bounds.”

“I’m not the sort of man who avoids due judgement. The crimes I committed caused death across the entire land.”

Aethlwulf’s head dropped, his hand cradling his forehead.

Keller reached over, laying a hand on his shoulder, “The alfar survive and the war is over. Yes, we did great harm, but there is much to look forward to.”

Aethlwulf quickly composed himself, though still visibly shaken, “Well, you have no worry of death or imprisonment. The alfar work for the good of all in the land. We value rehabilitation over punishment. Once they have determined that you will not cause further harm, there will be no reason to inflict suffering upon you. Though regaining their trust… that may be impossible.”

“Yes, well the Ljosalfar’s trust in me is the least of my concerns at the moment.”

“Of course. Soldiers from your land have invaded. What is Aevery’s plan of action? If war is now out of the question for the alfar, what is the desired outcome?”

“I am not sure. Aevery is sending scouts to watch the men and try to discern the best course of action through the reports returned to us. But it may be all for naught.”

“How so? You may be the greatest ally in our history, though you are only one man. Cannot these men also become so?”

“I fear I may be a unique case. And even then, many had to die for me to change my ways. The goal of these men is no doubt to find a suitable place to settle down, and to slaughter any who are not like them. That, I am sad to say, was my primary objective when I came to this land. No doubt if they do find Caer Nouveau, most of them will die in the process. And at that point, the rest of them may choose to die rather than live peaceably with those they deem lesser than them.”

Aethlwulf shook his head, “What kind of hell did you come from?”

Keller sat silently, not looking at Aethlwulf. The alfar’s question had thrown him into a deep contemplation. Finally, he stood, “Aevery also wishes to prepare Caer Nouveau for a potential battle. At the moment it seems all hands are needed to tend to the wounded and sick. The faster this is done, the faster we can be ready for a confrontation.”

“Of course,” Aethlwulf stood as well, “Follow me.”

They exited the barracks and quickly found a place among the organized chaos of Caer Nouveau to lend a hand to the sick and wounded. As the days passed, the condition of the alfar citizens stabilized. Slowly more resources were put toward arming the city as fewer were in need of medical attention. By the time a week passed, those bedridden were confined to a single large longhouse. A large number of those who had previously been indisposed were not fit for battle and continued to rest in their homes, but a formidable force was amassing. Few feared how the strange weapons of the invaders would fare against the will of the alfar.

During this time, no word returned from Aevery’s scouting party. In the regular meetings held with her, Aethlwulf, Keller and a few robed alfar, she voiced concerns to this end. The robed alfar constantly assured her that their best scouts could not possibly fall victim to barbaric men and that there was likely nothing to report. Keller spent much of these meetings espousing the training the invaders received and what skillsets they would have. Most in the meetings were confident that the only quality these men held over the alfar was their insatiable bloodlust.

On the seventh day a small band of Myrk arrived in the village, fully suited for battle. Ambassador Lovun explained this was a gift from Caelen to aid in Caer Nouveau’s defense. Keller had to admit, the relations between the two groups of alfar was showing bewildering improvement. Yet even with this assistance, he knew what a small force can do in the face of a larger one even without superior weapons, given careful planning. Without any knowledge of the men’s movements, they could strike at any time, from any direction. Even if they were stopped, the results of a surprise attack could be devastating.


	47. Chapter 47

XLVII.

Keller walked around the perimeter of Caer Nouveau, behind the last row of longhouses beside the forest. He patrolled this path daily for the stated reason of making sure the alfar stationed outside the city held a strong perimeter defense, and for the actual reason of keeping himself busy. 

With all the knowledge he had provided to Aevery and the other leaders of Caer Nouveau, he was still beginning to feel useless. There was no purpose in checking the perimeter defenses. His eyes were not even keen enough to find the alfar that hid in the trees. The first day he had done his rounds he ran back to Aevery announcing the alfar had abandoned their posts, only to find they were waiting patiently in the trees, hidden from his human eyes.

Within Caer Nouveau life went on much as usual, aside from the sight of a weapon at the side of every alfar able to stand and armor worn by all who could bear the weight. There was quite little for him to do now that the preparations were made. All that was left was to wait.

Waiting was no strange concept to Keller. Many times he had been ordered to wait, often for days on end, when he still marched with the Great Leader’s army. But this waiting was different. The alfar, while never unkind, were not welcoming to him. He did not expect them to be. They took his assistance when offered with various tasks, thanked him graciously, then waited silently for him to leave. Any time he had tried to strike up conversation a sudden hush fell over whatever group he stood with. This hush persisted until he relieved himself from their company and while no contemptible whispers rose from his departure, regular conversation would presume as if he had never been there. 

How could he expect it to be otherwise? The crimes he had committed against the alfar would have been met with immediate execution in his country. It was a miracle they treated him as well as they did. But the stirring loneliness within him could not be done away with. Only one alfar seemed willing to casually converse with him. The fellow outcast, Aethlwulf. The former general was no stranger to these customs. He had seen it happen to others on more than one occasion and knew it would pass in time. Yet unlike Keller, Aethlwulf’s social exile was found among friends and family. Keller was utterly isolated from his kin.

He yearned for someone to speak to who was like him. Someone who he stood on common ground with. Had shared a common experience. He sighed when he thought of Matthew-

A sudden gust of wind shot just before his nose and a thunk reverberated from the longhouse beside him. An arrow was embedded within the wood. Its feathers aimed backward toward the forest it had flown from. A small scrap of parchment was pierced about its shaft.

Keller leapt backwards, rounding the side of the longhouse, drawing his sword and scanning the treescape. No more arrows flew forth. He knew they wouldn’t as he had noticed the parchment. Tearing it from the arrow, he held it before him and was shocked to find… it was written in the language of his home.

  
Mr. Keller

I know you have found a home in the alien people of this land, but I have found a home myself. It’s a beautiful and small and would suit us perfectly. A place where we could live as you said, without leaders, without orders. I would, at the very least, like the opportunity to present the option to you. If you choose to stay with these strangers, I will understand. But at least then let me say goodbye. I will wait patiently.

Your friend and brother,

Matthew

  
Matthew! My God, Keller could not wait another moment. He was already sprinting through the trees, straight through the arrows trajectory. His whole body tensed, yet the scrap of parchment flitted gently between his fingertips. He prayed none of the alfar in the trees had noticed.

A hundred meters in there was still no sign of Matthew. The arrow couldn’t have possibly been shot farther than that. Keller stopped running and looked about. Suddenly, a grim realization struck him, just as the barrel of a gun pressed against his back. Clever tactic, there was no doubt.

A dozen men wandered from behind trees and dropped from their branches. The Commander himself stood a few paces away from Keller, observing him curiously. 

He spoke, his voice echoing many memories in Keller’s mind, ““Great work, Private Fischer. You’ve made yourself more useful than we could have hoped.” 

Directly to his right, Matthew approached. The young man was bedecked in a ragged uniform, worn tearing and covered in bloodstains that no river could absolve. It was his uniform. A bow hung across his shoulder beside an automatic rifle.

The Commander took a step toward Keller. Each man drew their eyes across the others face. The Commander then looked past him, raising his hand, “Lower your arms.” The barrel’s hard touch immediately disappeared from Keller’s back, “There’s no need for concern. The letter wasn’t a lie. We are only here to discuss a proposition, Mr. Kurtz.”

Matthew stepped forward, “He is Commander Keller, sir.”

The Commander spun to Matthew, “I did not give you leave to speak, Private Fischer!”

Matthew stepped back in line with the circle, “Yes, sir.”

The Commander turned back, “Right, my apologies, Commander Keller.”

Keller’s eyes flitted to Matthew, “I am no longer a commander, Mr. Keller will do.”

Shockingly, the Commander laughed, throwing his arms out to his sides, “It seems every one of us here is confused as to your identity! Regardless, let’s get down to business.”

Keller drove his scattered thoughts into focus, “Is this all that is left of your men after your journey? I know I lost many on my way through this land.”

The Commander waived his hand, “We have a few dozen more back at camp. I sympathize with you though. Many fell to get to this point, but Private Fischer’s knowledge has been invaluable.”

“I’m sure.”

“Speaking of the camp, I would like you to come and join us. Matthew believes you have found a love for the vermin who live here, but I think he is mistaken. I know sometimes miserable things must be done to survive. Alone in a land ruled by various violent subhumans? I might have done the same as you, if I could stomach it.” A grin lit his face, “We are creating a new settlement, and once it has been well established, we will find a way back through the mountain pass and bring the Great Leader’s army here. Think of the honor you would receive for your sacrifices.”

“Where is this settlement of yours?”

“Ah, I can’t tell you that until you agree to come with us. You understand.”

“Of course. And what of the threat of the alfar? They are stronger than you might realize.”

“The what? Is that what they call themselves? Well, to be honest, I don’t see them as any threat at all.”

Keller moved to respond when the Commander made a movement of his hand. One of the soldiers drew out of a pack a bundle of severed heads tied together. One of them he barely recognized as Terien. His fists clenched, fingernails digging through his palms.

The Commander continued, “I might have seen it as a great risk to us to give you the option to return to that savage village you’ve been living in, but given the skill of their best spies can’t withstand Private Fischer’s rudimentary understanding of their ways, it won’t matter much. Besides, I feel it wrong to leave a man behind, and Private Fischer still strongly believes you will come to see reason.”

Keller felt he had to make a leap of faith, “Listen, none of this is necessary. The alfar, all of them, are wise, generous, intelligent beings who know this land better than you and I ever will. This place is unsuitable for men, especially men of the Leader’s quality. It would kill us all before a week is out. An alliance with the alfar might bear wondrous fruit, but conquering this place would inevitably bring endless cataclysm. You must rethink this path.”

The Commander sighed, “I hardly believed Private Fischer when he said you had turned traitor. But I knew he was right and an agreement between us would be impossible the moment I heard your accent .”

Keller could say nothing.

“Return to that cesspool of a village you call a home now. Return to your savage people and warn them of us so you can march to your death. You are no longer one of us. You bear treason branded upon your very lips.”

Keller took a few steps back, the circle had parted for him and he stood outside it for a moment, looking at Matthew. The Commander began walking away. All the troops gathered in line behind him and began marching into the distance. Keller stood frozen until they were out of sight.

When they had disappeared, he shook back to his senses. His feet carried him swiftly back to Caer Nouveau. Boots splashed violently through the streets as hundreds of arms onlookers watched him fly past. He reached the massive porthole to the palace and stopped dead in his tracks with panting breath and heaving chest. His mind rushed back and forth.

What was he thinking? What was he considering? Were there even two paths to choose from? The Commander possibly made a mistake in goading him with how dependent he was on Matthew’s knowledge of the area. They were establishing a settlement. To do this, they would need a suitable plot of land. Even easier if this land was not already inhabited by alfar…

Keller knew where there settlement was.

His eyes focused again on the sweeping hall of the palace longhouse. The walls drove on away from him far off to the dais. Aevery was a distant speck upon her seat. She seemed beyond reach, kilometers away.

He turned from the entrance and walked away.


	48. Chapter 48

XLVIII.

The Commander and his troops would be more than an hour ahead of him at this point. While he could move faster being just one man, he could not risk being exhausted upon reaching them. What did he plan to do upon reaching them? He was unsure. 

In the barracks he grabbed a small pack and quickly filled it with food and camping materials. To his dismay, Aethlwulf walked out of one of the rooms.

“Where are you off to?”

Keller continued to haphazardly shove supplies into the pack without glancing at the alfar, “It does not matter.”

“Of course it does. You cannot simply wander off while those soldiers are out there somewhere.”

“They are less a threat to me than any of you. I will be safe. This is something I must do.”

“And what is this ?”

Keller stopped packing and looked at Aethlwulf, “I cannot tell you. I am sorry, my friend.”

Aethlwulf came closer as the man returned to his task, “Moses, you know you can entrust me with anything. I will help in any way I can.”

Keller sighed, bracing himself on the table, contemplating. Finally, “I must find Matthew. He is my brother and I cannot leave him to the dangers of this world. He does not trust the alfar. If I go alone, I may be able to convince him to return to us.”

“How can you possibly hope to find him? He is likely already dead.”

“Then I must find his body.” Keller threw the full pack across his back, began walking toward the exit, then turned one last time to Aethlwulf, “I hope we meet again, my friend.”

Aethlwulf’s eyes peered through furrowed brow, “Only time will tell.”

Keller nodded and strode through the porthole. He could feel the alfar’s eyes on his back all the way down the path until he rounded the corner. The sun hung low beyond the trees when Keller left the longhouses of Caer Nouveau behind. 

The river straddled his steps, driving away in the opposite direction, conveying the same message it always had. He told the river it would be different this time, but doubt still weighed upon him. Twice he had come to the village, twice he had made mistakes that had done more harm than any he could remember. Yet this time it had to be different. His long strides carried him forward as he urged himself to believe it would be different. He was without a plan or a direction, only this demand. There was no way to tell what he would do. Only what he wouldn’t do.

The river was still swelled from the flood waters. The earth still damp. The trees were still caked with black bark and ash. But here and there a bird sang and a leaf glimmered in the sunlight. Had these leaves miraculously avoided the raging flames? Or were the trees already healing themselves? Neither would surprise him in this wondrous land capable of great destruction and even greater beauty.

He was thankful the river carried him on toward his destination as his thoughts wandered to a fro. There was no haste in his journey. Frequent rest was taken beside steep banks where the grasses struggled to survive. Camp was set up early beside the setting sun casting the shadows of dead branches across the mists of the forest, like shadow puppets that danced only for him. 

While he drove on without a plan, he was not without a goal. The goal was the Commander and Matthew. Each had to be turned, not towards his path, but toward any path that would not lead to their inevitable demise. This goal must be reached at any cost. Even his life. The land was too important. These men, even more so.

Keller had to remind himself over and over again that Matthew was his primary goal. Matthew, his friend, his brother. This young man who he had abandoned and who meant so much to him. Yet even as he told himself this, the Commander seeped into his thoughts. Like an infection gone untreated. The Commander had to be freed from his upbringing, from his past life. If this could not be done, the whole endeavor was a failure. Matthew had proven to be able to survive on his own. The Commander, left unchecked, would surely be the end of himself.

Clouds flowed in, burying the noonday sun as he walked on. He had little guess as to how many days had passed since leaving Caer Nouveau. His pack grew light after the morning meal and he left it upon the ground as a wooden wall rose up from the distant trees and the sky darkened. There would be no need for it anymore. He was at his journey’s end.


	49. Chapter 49

XLIX.

“Stop! Don’t move! Hands up!” The soldiers at the gate raised their rifles toward Keller.

He calmly halted his steps and raised his hands. One of the soldiers drew closer, firearm still aimed. They must have thought him an alfar for his dress because when the man reached him, a look of surprise struck his face, “You must be Keller! Come back to join your own kind, huh? Let’s see how that works out for you.”

With one hand the soldier unbuckled Keller’s sheath from his waist and took the sword by the straps. With the rifle pressed against his back he was marched toward the three meter high wooden wall. The ground squelched noisily below his boots. It had rained here recently.

The gate was in fact a wide opening in the wood barrier, slotted for hinges but absent doors. Through this porthole the village stood. Its hill of patchy and dying grasses drove upward to wilting gardens and the greak oak in the center, still charred and riven by the lightning bolt that struck it. The huts were in shambles, rife with holes and sparsely patched roofs that surely failed to keep out the weather. About the hill the young men who called themselves soldiers were strewn everywhere, sitting or lying down or leaning against structures. Dozens of them, cast about the village with no way to tell whether most of them were dead or alive. Around the village the wooden wall did not persist. It covered about a quarter of the circumference from where Keller had entered. The rest of the perimeter was lined with the stumps of cut trees and beyond that, dark shadows that drifted low through the dead wood.

As Keller was marched to the main hut he took a glance within the others. More soldiers were cast about haphazardly within these. All of them lay on the beds or in makeshift cots. Coughing and retching filled the air. The main hut was in the best repair. What of the structure that was crumbling had been covered with makeshift wooden boards and colorfully patterned cloth cut from the clothes of the alfar who once lived here. Within sat the Commander and Matthew. They showed no surprise in his arrival.

The Commander stood up, “Keller! I’m glad you came. Though I’m not sure why you did. You can’t possibly believe this will go well for you.”

Keller threw his arms out, “I just want to talk.”

The Commander chuckled, “Is that your plan? I’m sad to say, I don’t want to talk.” He strode past Keller out of the porthole and into the village.

Keller followed with Matthew drawing behind. He noticed the young man’s had drift toward the holster on his hip. Pulling his mind away from this, he focused on the Commander, “You will destroy yourself on this path. It doesn’t have to be this way. We can all live together without war or bloodshed.”

The Commander stopped before the shattered oak and looked up at it, Keller a few paces behind, “You are asking me to abandon our Great Leader’s mission? For what? To live among the savages?”

“You have no other choice. Did you notice that the tunnel through the mountain disappeared behind you? There is no way back.”

The Commander turned and squinted at him. He had not noticed, “Even if that were true, the tunnel has opened at least twice to let us through. It will open again. And once it does we can simply fly over the mountains to reach this land. Have you no other reason to betray the cause aside from your lack of will and perseverance?”

Keller stared at him for a long time, as if all he had to give was his pleading look. Finally, “All I can do is ask for your mercy on behalf of the alfar. And your men.”

The Commander took a step closer, a finger aimed at his adversary, “Do not presume that you care more about the fate of these men more than I, you traitor!”

“I do not believe that I care more. Not at all. But I do know more about this land than you. More than even Matthew, I would dare to guess. And I am telling you, this path will lead to all your deaths.”

“As you have said, time and again.” The Commander folded his arms, “You came here without any plan, didn’t you? You have no reinforcements, no weapons. You are behind enemy lines with guns aimed at your back and all you have to say is ‘please’.”

“I don’t know what else to do. All I know is more death is not the answer.”

“It is the only answer. Weakness cannot be tolerated. Enemies are everywhere and life cannot be won without battle. If you refuse to defend yourself, you will be cut down. This is why the strong survive.”

“I don’t believe that. The alfar have proven otherwise.”

“Enough of your rambling about these beastial people! I am sick of it! There is only one way this ends. I have humored you long enough as it is.” The Commander drew his pistol from its holster and tossed upon the dead grasses, raising his fists, “As a final show of respect for the man you once were, I will make it a fair fight.”

“I will not fight you.” Keller’s arms hung by his sides.

“You have no choice! Raise your guard!”

“I am finished with brother killing brother. I may not know the right path, but I-”

The Commander’s fist struck his jaw. The world struck black. The impact of his body upon the earth was far away. Blurry patches of the sky came back to him as his lungs struggled to draw breath. Feet stamped in the soft dirt on either side of him and a fist gripped his collar, pulling at him.

From off in the distance, away and over the mountains he heard, “You are weak!”

A great force struck his nose, driving the back of his head into the dirt. Blood began to drip into his mouth.

Through trees across the river toward Caer Nouveau he heard faintly, “Cowardly!”

The force struck him again. He was unsure where. Everything drifted about, dull and faded.

Beyond the clouds came a violent whisper, “Worthless!”

The voices continued to shout as the force drove him deeper and deeper into the earth. Just as he began to see glinting lights about the looming darkness, he began to feel this was a fitting end. Just punishment for all he had done. Perhaps the world would become a brighter place.

A deafening bang struck him awake as blood washed across his face. In the dim light of the flowing world about him a figure tumbled to his side. An uproar began, a pounding of the earth all around grew closer. The shouting voices were different, and not so far away now.

The air steadied and came into focus. Keller looked to his right to find a body, uniformed, faceless, wearing a red dripping mask. He leapt over it and stared down into its cloaked eyes. Crimson droplets fell from him and violently melded among the waves flowing mask, deepening its obscurity. Whatever had been beneath it, whatever Keller had found under its rippling form, was gone forever.

In a wide birth around him were the two dozen soldiers who could still manage to carry weapons. These wavered through the air, now toward him, now behind him. Turning, he found Matthew, standing a few paces away, a pistol hanging limply from his fingers.

The circle lurched in confusion and indecision as Keller leapt up and charged the young man. His fingers gripped the others shoulders, trying to shake him. His battered body managed only to shake himself, “What have you done! What have you done!”

“He was going to kill you.”

“That was the cost! It was my decision! My path to walk!”

“You had no plan. I wasn’t going to let you stumble to your death.”

“You took my choice from me!”

“I didn’t. I made my own choice. You don’t get to make them for me anymore.”

Keller stopped shaking. He looked into his brother’s eyes and saw there a man all his own. His hands once more gripped tightly the shoulders that so often helped him carry his own burden, then fell.

He turned to the soldiers who circled them, their arms still raised, “I know the fear you feel. The pain of losing the world you knew and facing a new death at every turn. But I can help you. The way back is gone now. Lost forever. If you wish me to prove it to you I will. I will take that journey with you. But at this moment you are faced with two roads. If you seek death and destruction, to war with this land and its people, you will find that and nothing more. If you seek peace and harmony and good will, you will find that too. That is the law of this land. It’s not the world you grew up in. These roads are hard and long both ways. But one leads to a much brighter future. If you choose that road, I will not be your leader. Your commander is dead. You must be your own men. Whatever you decide, no one can stop you.”

Long barrels stared back at him, black eyes that shut out all light. Then they dropped. The soldiers stood there, looking about one another, wondering what came next. Then one of them called out, “The savages have come!”

A pointed finger aimed toward a massive force within the trees. Alfar sat atop feathered mounts, swords and bows drawn. Their line swept across the tree stumps surrounding the village. At their center rode Aevery and Aethlwulf, looming figures emanating with grim determination.

The circle broke away from Keller and Matthew, swarming among the trees and huts of the village. All rifles aimed toward the invaders. Keller stumbled away from his brother and tore into no man’s land, shouting and waving his arms as he could. He fell many times on his way down the village hill. His legs seemed determined not to carry him a step further.

Between the two forces, all guns and bows aimed at him, he climbed to is feet, arms still raised high, “Stop! Lay down your arms! There is no need for anymore violence!”

Aethlwulf called toward him, “Moses! Get out of the way! I’ll not have you be a casualty!”

A soldier cried from behind the oak, “They mean to kill us all!”

Aevery’s voice boomed through the village, “We are not the aggressors here! What of the heads of our men found staked about our city? Was that not a declaration of war?”

Keller clasped his hands together, his knees jerked and wobbled, “I do not know what all they have done, but their crimes cannot be worse than mine! Their commander is dead, they can find a way to live here in peace!”

Aethlwulf’s eyes pleaded with him, “Moses, I know you feel some love for these men of your country, that is honorable, but your mind is clouded. They have slaughtered half a dozen men, desecrated their corpses. There is no place in the world for monsters of this kind. I could feel your judgement was skewed, that’s why I asked Aevery to gather a force to follow you.”

Keller’s legs buckled. He fell to his knees but forced himself to stay upright, “We are all monsters! We have all committed unforgivable crimes! Driving people from their homes, sacrificing others to appease invisible gods, slaughtering whole villages, imprisoning innocent men, bringing plague and famine to the whole land! This does not mean we cannot be redeemed! Those who ask for forgiveness may not deserve it, but those who ask for mercy… that is all I ask. Mercy for my people. Another chance, though undeserved, to show we are not monsters. Only men, trying to make the world a little better all the time, no matter how much we fail.”

His whole body shook. His muscles fought against him. Silence pervaded the village and the forest. From behind the clouds a dart of sunshine leapt upon the earth between the alfar and the men. Green grass glimmered in its ray. The alfar looked past him as a rustling rose up from behind. Matthew stood beside him. Then the young man threw his pistol to the ground before him.

Everything became quite still. The breeze blew cool and the ray of sunlight grew wider upon the earth. The clouds divided and began opening to a blue sky. Aethlwulf dismounted and walked to stand a few paces before Keller and Fischer. He held his blade out before him, then let it fall. A soldier, very young with a smooth face, arrived at Keller’s other side. He dropped his rifle down. Aevery came next. Standing strong and disarmed beside Aethlwulf. Keller could not discern her expression. It seemed happy.

Soon all of the soldiers and dozens of alfar stood across from each other with open arms and empty hands. The army mounted within the trees sheathed their weapons long before. The sun cascaded and drifted among wandering clouds and birds fluttered singing through budding leaves. Keller smiled as he watched them dance.


	50. Chapter 50

L.

Weeks and months passed. The village was fully rebuilt, the wooden wall torn down. Some of the men had gone to live in Caer Nouveau and a few alfar came to live in the village. Even some Myrk had come to visit. The alfar shared their knowledge of agriculture with the men and the men shared knowledge and histories of the world they once knew. Trade flowed freely between man, Myrk, and Ljos and while tensions often rose, they rose less often each day.

Aevery visited the village one day to see its progress and speak with Keller. They roamed about its perimeter as they had done when they first met and spoke of plans for the future and all that had been accomplished.

Keller smiled, “Perhaps one day this village will not even need to be separate from Caer Nouveau. I would like to see men and alfar roaming and living freely between each other.”

“That would be wonderful, though I feel it is a long way off.” Aevery was staring at the still shattered oak, “Memories of the past are not so easily done away with.”

“Very true. But we have sacrificed much to reach this point. I feel we have hardly touched on what we amy accomplish. I only wish so many did not have to die to see it done. I wish the Commander… Commander Legatt did not have to die.”

“From what I heard, if it had not been him, it would have been you. That surely would have made a worse world.”

“I don’t believe that makes his death any more justified. Matthew believes he did the right thing. I respect him for saving my life. I just can’t help but wishing another man hadn’t died to bring me to where I am.”

“It is a difficult and dangerous path we are all walking. We don’t even know where it leads. Only where we wish it to lead. And though we do not know the road, we know it lies somewhere between killing and self sacrifice. We will find the answer one day.”

“Of that, I have no doubts.”

Aevery smiled, “I must admit. You have done very well, for a man.”

Keller looked down toward the earth. He then stopped walking and turned to his friend, “Aevery, I must say… I know you bear no ill feelings toward me but… When you say things like that, it makes me feel… I don’t like how it makes me feel.”

Aevery stared into his eyes for a long time. She nodded, “I apologize. I’ll try to avoid comments like that in the future.”

“Thank you.”

They continued on, walking among the young grass beside newly planted trees. The future was unknown and how they would respond to it was clouded further still. But when new challenges arose they at the least knew to face them together and with open eyes.


End file.
